A Different Kind Of Life
by DreamsOfGold
Summary: What happens if Logan became a doctor instead of stepping into his predestined life at HPG? I am a huge Gilmore Girls fan, and fairly recently started watching The Resident with Matt Czuchary, and this idea for a story suddenly came to me. This is all Gilmore Girls but slightly inspired by The Resident. I own nothing Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

"Can I have a triple espresso please?" Rory Gilmore asked as she stepped up to the counter at her favorite coffee shop. It was a Thursday morning, and she had taken a quick break from work to run down the street to grab coffee with her friend Jill. "Thank you!" Rory smiled, retrieving her credit card from the barista, pocketing it as she took a step back so Jill could place her own order.

"May I have a non fat soy late with extra cream and splenda please?" Jill ordered.

"Jill, that sounds like so much less fun." Rory chuckled.

"Yeah well, not all of us can stuff our faces full of junk and never gain a single ounce." Jill retorted sarcastically.

"It's not my fault! I swear, I get it from my mother. She refers to it as 'The Lorelai Paradox'. I've been trying to gain weight, for years! It's not like I spend all my time working out or something. I literally just work, eat, and drink coffee, and yet somehow nothing ever happens. I've given up trying to understand it."

"You are so lucky, Rory! You are gorgeous no matter what you do. In fact, that hot guy over there with the scruffy face looks like he's undressing you with his eyes right now."

"Jill, don't be ridiculous!" Rory laughed, taking her coffee from the barista that had once again approached the counter, holding their drinks. "Thank you so much! Have a great day!"

"Thank you!" Jill echoed.

"Come on, let's get back to the office before Felicia notices that we're gone."

"I wouldn't worry about Felicia noticing anything. She is in a publishers meeting. It'll be hours before anyone in that conference room gets a break."

"Geez, I do NOT envy her at all right now! Her salary, and her wardrobe, maybe. But definitely not her job on days like today." Rory laughed as the girls both headed toward the door, not noticing that the hot guy Jill had spotted sitting at a table across the coffee shop, had gotten up and begun to follow them out.

"Well well well, if it isn't Rory Gilmore!" the man started, stopping both girls dead in their tracks. The girls quickly shot each other a questioning look, before Jill shrugged, and they began to turn around.

"Logan?!" Rory asked.

"Hey Ace." Logan said with that handsome crooked smile that Rory knew so well.

"Oh my gosh! Logan Huntsberger, as I live and breathe!" Rory said in a shocked, yet excited voice. "I haven't seen you in forever! How are you?!"

"I'm doing good. How are you?"

"I'm wonderful! Logan, this is my friend Jill. We work together at the New York Times."

"Hi Jill, it's a pleasure to meet you." Logan smiled, holding his hand out toward Rory's still baffled friend.

"Hi." Jill blushed, shaking Logan's hand.

"Jill, Logan and I went to Yale together. What has it been now? Like 8 years?"

"Yeah, something like that." Logan chuckled. "So the New York Times? That was your dream. Congratulations Ace!"

"Thank you! What are you doing now? Last I heard you went off to California. Are you working back here now? Are you still avoiding working for your dad?"

"I am, and he hates it!" Logan laughed. "I was in California for a while, but then I decided that I missed the east coast, so I moved back and switched gears a little. I went to medical school."

"No way!?" Rory sputtered.

"I'm an ER doctor over at Columbia Presbyterian."

"Seriously?!"

"I got my PhD and MD here in New York, at Columbia, did my residency at Columbia Presbyterian, and then they hired me right on as an ER doctor, and I've been there for the last 4 years."

"Wow! Logan! That is so great! I'm so proud of you!"

"Well Thank you! That means a lot coming from you."

"So your dad really hates it?!"

"He plays the proud parent to an audience, but you know how he is about me 'rejecting my destiny and the family business'. But at least he's quietly fuming, so I don't really have to hear about it. I don't see him much with my schedule as crazy as it is."

"Speaking of crazy schedules . . ." Jill squeaked as her phone rang, and she dug it out of her bag and stepped off to the side. "Hello, this is Jill."

"Logan, that is so amazing! I can't believe that you're a doctor!"

"Neither can I sometimes, but I love it! No day is ever the same. It actually really challenges me, and makes me think on my feet. It's great!"

"Wow! Logan, way to go! That is fantastic!"

"Sorry to interrupt." Jill started as she stepped back up next to Rory. "That was Derek. He just got a call about a story that he wants us to work on. It was really nice to meet you Logan." Jill said with a smile as she looked up at Logan. "Congratulations on becoming a doctor! That is really cool!"

"Thank you! It was great to meet you too." Logan smiled back. "Rory, let's grab dinner or something, and catch up sometime soon?"

"Yeah, that would be awesome!" Rory agreed reaching into her pocket to grab her phone.

"Here's my card. Call or text me any time. I'm usually at the hospital, but I check my phone quite often."

"Oh, excellent! Thank you, I will."

"Have a great day ladies! Good luck with your story!"

"Thanks Logan. We'll talk soon." Rory answered, then turned and left with Jill.

"Girl! He is gorgeous!" Jill gushed once the girls were about a block away. "You said that you went to Yale together?"

"Yeah. We were really close during college." Rory answered, blushing.

"Really close, as in you dated?"

"Yeah, for a little while."

"A little while? As in?" Jill prodded.

"3 years."

"Wow! So why did you break up?"

"He asked me to marry him at my graduation party . . . I wasn't ready."

"Holy cow! You said no to a guy who looks like that?!"

"I know, right?! And he's somehow gotten even better looking since college. I honestly didn't even think that was possible!" Rory said with a laugh.

"Damn girl! And now he's a doctor at one of the best hospitals in the state!"

"I know, I'm completely surprised! When we were together he was doing something in the computer technology industry, and before that he was doing tech something, working for Daddy. I had no idea that he was even interested in medicine. He has a bachelors degree in Journalism."

"Wow! A bachelors in journalism and a MD in medicine. That's a HUGE leap! What does Daddy do?"

"His father is Mitchum Huntsberger."

"Wait." Jill said, stopping dead in her tracks, just outside the New York Times office building. "His dad is Mitchum Huntsberger? Like THE Mitchum Huntsberger? As in could buy up the times and shut it all down like yesterday's trash. That Mitchum Huntsberger?"

"There's only one. Or at least only one that I know of. Who knows, maybe that man got around to cloning himself or something." Rory said rolling her eyes.

"So you dated Logan, the heir to the Huntsberger publishing DYNASTY!?"

"Yeah."

"Oh holy crap Woman!"

"I know! And he gave it all up, and went to medical school!"

"That is crazy! Who would do something like that?!"

"Someone who really can't stand their Dad, I guess. I'm really proud of Logan. He's worked really hard to be his own person. I never imagined him ever going into medicine, but hey, he did always like helping other people."

"That is incredible! Crazy, but incredible."

"I know, right?!" Rory laughed as she reached for the door handle, following Jill back into the New York Times building, and to the elevator that would take them to the sixth floor, and back to their editing jobs.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER:

I own nothing

Please read and review

4 hours later

Columbia Presbyterian Hospital

Emergency Room

"Dr. Huntsberger. New patient just transported by NYFD. Work accident, bleeding, laceration to the right extremity." a nurse said handing some paperwork over to Logan, from behind a triage desk.

"What room?"

"Right across the way. Room 19." the nurse answered as Logan took the paperwork and stepped away toward the room.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Huntsberger, are you Lorelai Gilmo . . ." Logan began, entering the room and immediately tearing his eyes away from the paperwork in his hand. "Ace! What happened?!"

"Hey Logan." Rory said sheepishly as a nurse and a couple paramedics finished getting her transferred from the stretcher she had been brought in on.

"When I suggested dinner, I didn't necessarily mean today." Logan joked taking in Rory's blood covered appearance.

"31 year old, work accident with a lot of blood loss due to a laceration of the right extremity." one of the paramedics answered.

"Let's get an IV started." Logan directed the nurse to his left. "Is that laceration packed?" he asked, turning to the paramedic to his right.

"Yes Sir!"

"Do you know about how much blood was lost?" Logan questioned.

"My guess is several units." the paramedic answered, gesturing to Rory who was covered in blood.

"Rory, how are you feeling?"

"Kind of light headed. Nauseous. In a lot of pain."

"We're going to fix that right now. Do you know your blood type?"

"A negative." Rory answered softly, closing her eyes, and tilting her head back against the bed as she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"I'm ordering two units of blood. Do a quick draw so we can determine how much we might need. I'm going to start her on one unit immediately to see how she does. Let's also get her some morphine, and Zofran. I am ordering both x-rays and an MRI, so we can determine how much damage has been done, and whether or not she will need to be taken to surgery. Rory, is your mom still in Stars Hollow?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You shouldn't be here alone." Logan told her, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "What is her number? Do you have your phone on you?"

"It's in my purse."

"Your name is Rory?" the nurse asked, as one of the paramedics handed Logan Rory's purse.

"It's Lorelai, but she goes by Rory." Logan answered, reaching into the purse to find Rory's phone. "We went to college together."

"Ok, Rory, I'm going to get this IV started for you." she said as she quickly wiped down the inside of Rory's left arm with some disinfectant.

"Hi, Lorelai?" Logan said into the phone. "Hi, this is Doctor Huntsberger at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. I have Rory with me in the ER. She has a work injury, significant blood loss, and a laceration to the right hand. I'm ordering a blood transfusion, x-rays and an MRI. Can you come? She shouldn't be alone . . . Yes . . . Thank you. We'll see you soon." he said hanging up. "Rory, your mom is on her way. I guess they called her from your office."

"Thank you." Rory said softly as Logan dropped her phone back into her purse, then moved to the computer to enter his orders in.

"Thank you guys for transporting her. You can head out." Logan said looking over to the paramedics, then looking back over to Rory. "Rory, can you tell me what happened?"

"It's stupid." she answered, wincing in pain. "I was setting my coffee cup down, and somehow I knocked over the tool caddy with all of my pens and stuff in it. I stuck out my arm to grab things as they were falling, and I didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. My scissors went right through my hand."

"Ouch! I'm ordering you a tetanus shot along with pain meds. When is the last time you ate or drank anything?"

"What time is it? Last time I checked it was around noon. I haven't eaten since breakfast this morning."

"But you've been drinking coffee all day. It's about 1:30 now. You weren't drinking the same coffee as when I saw you this morning, were you?"

"No, I've had a couple more cups since then. And some donuts and a pop tart for breakfast before that."

"I see your diet hasn't changed at all in the last 8 years." Logan chuckled. "Unfortunately for you, you won't be able to eat or drink anything until after your test results come back, just in case I have to send you into surgery."

"Ok." Rory murmered.

"I'm going to put a rush on your pain meds. Veronica, can you stay with her until I get back? I'm worried about her passing out."

"Sure, no problem." the nurse answered as she finished inserting Rory's IV and drawing a couple vials of blood.

"Rory, I will be right back. Veronica is going to stay with you ok?"

"Ok." Rory answered weakly.

"Rory, everything is going to be ok. Doctor Huntsberger is one of our best doctors. He's going to take very good care of you." Veronica said as she watched Logan leave the room. "You went to college together?"

Rory slowly nodded.

"What school did you go to?"

"Yale." Rory answered softly after a brief silence.

"Yale is a great school! What did you study?"

"Journalism . . ."

"Oh, you're a writer then! I was never very good at writing. I mostly got Bs and Cs in English. I just couldn't get into it. Math and science were more of my thing. Are you married? Do you have any kids?"

"No." Rory answered.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I have a 6 year old son. He's so smart. He loves to read!"

"I have twin Godsons . . . They just turned 8."

"That is awesome! Boys are so fun! Do you see them a lot?"

"I see them a few times a year when I go home."

"Where are you from? I heard Doctor Huntsberger asking if your Mom was in Stars Hollow? Where is that? Is that where you are from?"

"Yeah. It's a tiny little backwards town in Connecticut. About two hours from here."

"Do you like it there?"

"I do. Stars Hollow is the best." Rory murmered, taking a deep breath. "It's like they say on that really old show, Cheers. It's somewhere where everybody knows your name. And they're always glad that you came."

"You talking about Stars Hollow?" Logan asked as he stepped back into the room.

"Yeah." the nurse answered as Rory briefly smiled. "Have you been there?"

"A few times." Logan answered smiling himself. "It's a fascinating little place! Full of character. Literally!"

"You're off your rocker." Rory smirked.

"I think Stars Hollow is fascinating! Is Taylor still running the place?" Logan asked her.

"Until either he dies, or someone assassinates him. Whichever comes first!"

"The town Mayor is this crazy old man in a sweater vest that thinks he runs the place with an iron fist. Everyone in town actually kind of ignores him, and does their own thing. He likes to come up with insane ideas for different town events, and it drives people up the wall." Logan explained to the nurse.

"Especially my Dad. Luke can't stand the guy! They still fight almost daily." Rory added.

"I didn't know Luke was your dad? Lorelai finally got married?" Logan asked.

"A few months ago. It was a huge town event."

"Oh, I can imagine." Logan smirked, briefly chuckling. "And every character in town was there."

"Every single one." Rory smiled, opening her eyes, looking over toward Logan. "It was amazing!"

"Speaking of amazing. You are about to feel a whole lot better. I've got your morphine."

"You're my favorite person right now."

"And you haven't even gotten any drugs yet." Logan laughed as he took a seat on the stool next to Rory's bed, and reached for her IV. "Let's see how you feel in another 5 minutes. Your blood is on its way."

"Thank you Logan." Rory murmured as Logan pressed the contents of the syringe in his hand, into Rory's IV.

"You should be feeling the morphine within the next few seconds. It might feel like you're suffocating for a few seconds as it hits. It's usually an overwhelming warm heaviness in your chest. Let me know once it passes."

Rory squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to focus on breathing as the medication hit her.

"Kind of feels like a heart attack for a few seconds. It'll get better." Logan told her. "Just breathe through it. It's going to knock the pain out. You will be feeling a lot better in about 30 seconds.

Rory slowly started nodding her head, then opened her eyes, inhaling a deep breath.

"Better now?"

"You weren't kidding about the suffocating." Rory answered.

"Morphine is some good stuff. Short acting, but good stuff. I just need to keep you comfortable long enough to get you thru x-rays and an MRI. I've got a rush on everything. I won't put you through any more trauma than absolutely necessary. And I have someone coming down from upstairs to sit with you. You might hate me for it, but I think you'll be grateful for it in the end. I just don't want you left alone until your mom gets here. I don't need you blacking out without anyone here to call me."

"Do you do this for all your patients?"

"Actually I do. Well, I at least have a nurse sit with them. But I saw that there was someone on staff today that you know, so I thought maybe having a friendly face would help you relax."

"Paris . . ." Rory slowly breathed out as the door opened.

"I already instructed her to be nice. I figured you know how to mellow her out way better than I do, but I also know how protective she is over you." Logan explained.

"Gilmore, what in the world have you done now?!" Paris Gellar asked as she walked in the door to Rory's room.

"I totally forgot you work here. I'm so sorry Paris!" Rory whined.

"Are you kidding me?! You wouldn't dare go to another hospital, and risk me finding out!"

"Paris, remember what we talked about . . ." Logan warned.

"Blah blah blah, Doctor Huntsberger is incharge. She's not my patient, just my best friend. I'm only allowed to consult. You suck Huntsberger!"

"Yeah, well, you can just deal with it! I need to go check on some other patients, but I'll be back in a bit. Rory's blood transfusion is on its way. And imaging should be here shortly after for x-rays and an MRI. Maybe if you're nice, I'll let you give Rory her tetanus shot when it gets here."

"Let me?" Paris asked.

"I'll let Rory choose." Logan winked Rory's way. "Rory, hit the call button if Paris gets too overwhelming. Paris, please play nice. I'll be back."

"Bite me Huntsberger!" Paris snapped as Logan left the room, leaving the two friends alone. "So, I hear you got in a fight with a pair of scissors." Paris started, turning toward her best friend.

"And the scissors won." Rory answered, rolling her eyes.

"Way to go Gilmore!" Paris walked back to the door, and pulled it closed, before moving to sit next to Rory on the bed. "So tell me, is this really the first time you are seeing lover boy in the last 8 years?"

"I ran into him at the coffee shop by my office this morning. But yeah."

"For real? You had no idea he was in the city?"

"Apparently either I didn't get the memo, or someone forgot to tell me."

"Oh, I told you. I told you several years ago, you just didn't care."

"Paris, I don't remember that."

"When you were out on the campaign trail, I called and told you that I ran into him at school at Columbia. You just said 'Oh'. You didn't ask any questions, or ask me to pass along a message or anything. I figured if you had any interest in him at all, you would have said something."

"Paris . . ."

"Don't Paris me, Gilmore! I'm telling you the exact same thing that I told Logan several years ago. I will not be your go between! Had I known that you had any interest, I would have given you each other's info years ago. But you just acted like you didn't care, so I dropped it, and moved on with my life."

"How long have you been working together?" Rory asked.

"We had a couple classes together at Columbia, and I helped him study sometimes. I honestly never expected much out of the guy. I actually laughed pretty hard when I ran into him the first time, and he told me that he was studying medicine. Whoever thought that playboy would have any interest in doing something for anybody other than himself?! It still shocks me that he actually made it thru medical school, and then passed his boards. We did our residency together, and I'll never admit this to his face, but that guy is actually a halfway decent doctor."

"Wow! Coming from you Paris, that is as close to a raving review as someone can possibly get. It basically means that he's the best doctor in the state!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here."

"You're a great doctor Paris, and you know that! If I ever get pregnant, I'll be stupid to see anyone other than you."

"And you had better remember that!"

"Thanks for being here Paris. I didn't realize just how hard this was going to be. I feel like an idiot."

"Logan said you were drinking coffee, and knocked your tool caddy over."

"Yeah. I set my cup down, and somehow knocked the caddy off my desk. Then I stupidly tried to catch everything as it fell, and my scissors went through my hand."

"Ouch!"

"You're telling me!"

"Did the paramedics pack that?" Paris asked, looking toward Rory's bandaged up hand.

"Yeah. There is a ton of gauze crammed in there, with medical tape holding it all together. It's probably going to hurt like hell to remove."

"At least you are coherent enough to realize that part is still coming. You would be surprised at the number of idiots that think that they are all fine and dandy just because the paramedics wrapped them up to keep blood from squirting all over the ambulance on the way here."

"Some people's children . . ." Rory laughed.

"For real! Some days I really wonder how certain people even remember to breathe."

"Oh Paris! You will never change!"

"And you love me for it! Oh, you need to come by when you are feeling better. The kids are asking for their Aunt Rory."

"Awww, give them hugs for me, and tell them I love them. Maybe I'll come by one day next week, if that's ok."

"Of course! You have a key. Come by whenever. Doyle is out of town right now, but he should be back in a couple days."

"Where is he this time?"

"Chicago. I told him to bring back some sausage from the Vienna factory out there."

"Score! Party at your house!"

"It won't last very long between the three of us, and the kids." Paris laughed.

"Yeah, well, nothing ever does!"

"How's your mom doing? How is she liking married life?"

"She's great! I've only seen her once since the wedding. I've been too busy to go back to the Hollow."

"Hey, you've got that dream job. Your career is way more important than visiting all those characters back home."

"I know, but I still miss them. Stars Hollow will always be my home. All those loons are my family, just like you, Doyle, and the kids are."

"Well if you ask me, I'm willing to bet that now that you are injured, and your mom is on her way here, she'll either be moving into your apartment for the foreseeable future, or packing you a bag, and carting you off back to the Hollow until you are able to function on your own again."

"You're probably right." Rory agreed as the door opened, and the nurse walked in with a bag of blood.

"Doctor Gellar. It's nice to see you again." the nurse greeted Paris.

"Hi Veronica. I'm glad my best friend has you to take care of her, and not one of those new incompetent nurses that they just hired."

"Oh they aren't so bad. Just new. We all need to start somewhere, right?"

"Sure, somewhere." Paris snorted.

"Rory, I've got your blood transfusion all ready for you, and I've got your tetanus shot as well."

"Here, give me the syringe. I'll administer the shot while you get that bag hooked up." Paris offered, holding her hand out.

"Is that allowed?" Veronica asked.

"Am I a licensed doctor?"

"Well, yeah." Veronica answered nervously.

"With practicing rights at this hospital?"

"Logan said she could." Rory interjected.

"Oh! Well, if Doctor Huntsberger said that it's ok, then that's fine. Thank you Doctor Gellar." Veronica said with a smile, reaching into her pocket and handing the syringe to Paris.

"Please, I shouldn't need permission from a subpar doctor that I helped through medical school, in order to give an ER patient an injection that I give to dozens of my own patients upstairs, every day!"

"Oh Paris! Leave her alone! You heard what Logan said. I really appreciate you being here, but I am his patient right now."

"Only because there is no one better on staff at the moment, so I can't really fire him and move you to someone more equipped to handle the situation."

"Paris, you were just telling me that Logan is one of the best doctors in town!"

"I'll never admit to such nonsense."

"We know Paris. You're a hard ass!"

"Shut your mouth Gilmore. I'm about to stick you with this needle." Paris said as she put some gloves on, and quickly cleaned Rory's arm with a cleansing wipe.

"On second thought, maybe Veronica is right. Maybe we shouldn't trust you with that needle. Ouch!" Rory yelped.

"Keep crying Gilmore, it's all over!" Paris said as she removed the needle, and taking the bandaid Veronica was holding out for her, an placing it over where she injected Rory's arm.

"You're mean Paris! You did that on purpose!"

"Maybe, but you can't prove that!"

"Logan, she traumatized me with a needle!" Rory whined as the door opened, and Logan stepped back into the room.

"Whatever! I can just leave you here, and go right back upstairs to my job while you wait for your mom."

"Oh Paris, you and I both know that you aren't about to do that." Logan told her. "I actually wouldn't be surprised if you hung around after Lorelai gets here, just to make sure that I'm giving Rory care that you approve of."

"Keep talking Huntsberger, and you'll get your wish!"

"Rory, as soon as we get this transfusion done, I'll take you for imaging. I just want to get some blood in you first so we don't risk you blacking out while we're moving you."

"How long do you think it'll be before I can eat something? I'm starving!" Rory asked.

"Probably at least a couple of hours." Logan answered.

"Oh stop pouting Rory. That face won't work on him anymore!" Paris snapped, seeing Rory's pouty puppy dog lip coming out.

"Oh please, Paris, that face never stopped working on me, and she knows it!" Logan laughed. "Ace, I would feed you myself if I could. But it's too risky. If I have to send you into surgery to fix your hand. I don't need you aspirating on the table, and suffocating from your own vomit. What kind of doctor would I be if I allowed that to happen?!"

"Doctor Huntsberger, I hear that Doctor Gellar was complimenting you to Miss Gilmore." Veronica said with a chuckle as Paris suddenly shot her a death glare.

"I would never!" Paris snapped glaring at Veronica, then Logan.

"She called you sub par." Rory told him.

"I'm sure she did. What other lies has the lovely Doctor Gellar been telling you?"

"She called you hot." Rory lied.

"Now we all know that isn't true!" Logan laughed. "Paris would never say something nice about me. It might kill her to try!"

"You're right. Rory agreed. She called you 'halfway decent'."

"Now that I'll believe! Thank you Paris! That is as close to a glowing review as anyone could ever get, coming from you!"

"Don't let it go to your head Huntsberger!"

"Oops! Too late!"


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

Please read and review

* * *

An hour later, Rory was wheeled back into the ER following her x-rays.

"Rory, you'll be heading for your MRI as soon as they are done with their current patient. Do you have any metal on your clothing at all? Maybe zippers or an underwire?" Logan asked as he walked back into the room.

"Is that your nice way of asking me to take my clothes off?" Rory asked slyly.

"Oh please. You know I'll be perfectly direct about that one." Logan told her, sticking his head out the door and looking around. "Veronica! Would you mind helping Miss Gilmore into a gown? She'll be heading for an MRI in a few minutes.

"Logan, you know I'm claustrophobic." Rory reminded him.

"I have some Versed in my pocket. It's going to make you kind of loopy. It's a short scan though. Only 30, maybe 45 minutes. You can take a nap after, while we wait for the results."

"Mom!" Rory cheered seeing her mom appear in the doorway.

"Mommy is here. How's my baby?"

"Well ..." Rory started. "Paris assaulted me with a needle, Logan is being Logan, and Veronica... I actually don't have a problem with her at all. Veronica and I are cool."

"Ok then! Hi Veronica, I'm Lorelai. It's nice to meet you." Lorelai smiled, extending her hand toward the nurse.

"Nice to meet you as well. You are gorgeous!"

"Thank you Honey! Flattery will get you everywhere!" Lorelai told her as she shook Veronica's hand, then turned to Paris. "Paris, why did you assault my daughter with a needle?"

"She needed a tetanus shot." Paris shrugged.

"Well yeah. But she says that you assaulted her."

"She was picking on me. And she might have told Logan that I said nice things about him. She deserved it."

"Paris, that was after the fact!" Rory interjected.

"Yeah well, you had it coming. And you're a baby. Deal with it!"

"OK children!" Lorelai said rolling her eyes. "We aren't in high school anymore. Now you ..." Lorelai started as she turned to face Logan, who was standing by the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, smirking at the scene unfolding in front of him. "What is this?!" She asked gesturing toward his appearance. "I thought for sure it was a coincidence when you called saying it was Doctor Huntsberger."

"I needed a change." He shrugged. "Something more challenging."

"So you went to medical school?"

"And I graduated. With Paris."

"Paris, you knew about this?" Lorelai asked, her eyebrows raised in interest.

"Hey, I tried to tell Rory. She ignored me." Paris shrugged.

"Paris, I have no recollection of that." Rory told her again.

"You were busy following Obama around. You had a lot going on." Paris reminded her.

"Logan, I am shocked! Congratulations! How long have you been here?" Lorelai asked.

"4 years." Logan answered proudly.

"Wow! I would never have pegged you for studying medicine. I'm proud of you. Way to go!"

"Thank you! Coming from you, that means everything! Thank you! I feel like I should hug you or something." Logan laughed.

"Well knowing your parents, I'm sure you need a mom hug, so come here." Lorelai said holding her arms out, and embracing Logan tightly. "I really am proud of you Logan. I mean it. Paris everyone expected to go to medical school and graduate. We're proud of her because we all know it's not easy, but we knew Paris would do it. But you . . . This is something none of us ever saw coming. You did good kid! Congratulations!"

"Thank you! Gosh, I almost feel like you're my mom now. And you're right, I needed a mom hug. Thank you Lorelai."

"You are very welcome! Now, let's get back to business. What is going on with my baby?" Lorelai asked, turning to Rory who was wiping tears from her eyes. "Hey, why are you crying?"

"Because you've never liked Logan, and now he says he feels like you're his mom too."

"Rory, the kid went to medical school. And graduated! Without his daddy!"

"Or daddy's money." Logan added.

"High five there!" Paris said slapping hands with Logan.

"And daddy is probably pretty peeved." Lorelai laughed. "Someone needs to step up and be proud of this kid, and you told me for years that he wasn't as bad as I thought. For once I actually agree with you. But I reserve the right to hate him again if he messes you up. Do you understand me young man?"

"Loud and clear." Logan smiled.

"Now, please explain to me the plan here. What are we doing to fix my baby?"

"Rory received a blood transfusion, x-rays, and is about to go for an MRI any minute. I had asked Veronica to help her get into a gown right before you walked in the door, that way she is ready to go as soon as the team gets here." Logan explained to Lorelai.

"You remember she's claustrophobic."

I have anxiety meds in my pocket and they hit instantly."

"What about pain meds?"

"Rory? How are you feeling?" Logan asked. "I'm pretty sure your high is starting to wear off by now. It's been over an hour."

"Suffering silently?" Rory answered softly.

"Baby girl, you have to actually ask for more or he can't give it to you." Lorelai told her daughter, who began giving Logan a sad puppy face.

"Ace, she's right. I need you to actually say the words. It's the rules." Logan told her, smiling at her pathetic attempt.

"Logan, please help me? It hurts!"

"On a scale of 1-10 how bad is it?"

"Maybe an 8?"

"What about on a scale of Rory to Paris?" Paris asked as Rory inhaled deeply.

"On that scale I'd say Paris will be killing you very soon if you don't do something to help me."

"Threat accepted!" Logan laughed. "I'll go get you another injection if you let your mom and Veronica help you out of your clothes and into a gown. I need all metal removed from your body. No zippers, bra clips, rings, necklaces, or earrings. The MRI machnie uses incredibly high powered magnets, and if you have any metal in or on your body at all, it will get ripped right out. So anything you've got, I need you to give it all to Lorelai."

"So I assume you have another job for me?" Paris asked, turning to Logan.

"Go track down the MRI team and use your Paris magic to get things moving. I'm sick of waiting."

"I'll be back for transport in 5 minutes. Get her ready." Paris instructed Lorelai and Veronica.

"I'll be back with meds in a few minutes. Hit the button if you need anything." Logan told told the women, then followed Paris out of the room.

Two hours later, Logan walked back into Roy's room to see her asleep on Lorelai's shoulder.

"You know you want a picture of this." Logan smiled at Lorelai.

"She'll kill me, but do it!" Lorelai said handing over her phone. Logan snapped a picture for Lorelai, then handed the phone back.

"How's she doing?"

She seems ok. She was pretty out of it from the meds you gave her before the scan."

"They're probably pretty worn off by now. She's going to be hurting when she wakes up."

"So what do we do now? When will you have the results back?"

"I just got them." Logan smiled, moving over to the computer across the room from Rory, and logging in. "It's actually not too bad. Should we wake her up?"

"You really think that's a good idea?"

"I don't know. I learned that lesson years ago, but at the same time I'm pretty sure you guys don't want to be here all night, and I know Rory is pretty hungry."

"So you're saying she can eat?"

"If she's feeling up to it. Do you want to run to the cafeteria, or I have some delivery menus?"

"I feel like a sandwich." Lorelai told him.

"Jimmy Johns up the street is the best and will deliver right to the front desk."

"Let's do it! What would you like? You've been going for hours. You need to eat too."

"I'm ok, I'll grab something on my way home later on. Just get something for yourselves."

"Club sandwich it is." Lorelai told him.

"With Jimmy mustard please." Logan agreed. "Rory likes the beach club."

"You remember." Lorelai smiled, looking up at the man in front of her.

"I remember everything. Rory is pretty hard to forget."

"So let me ask you this . . . I know it's none of my business, but what happened back at Yale?"

Taking a step backwards, Logan leaned up against the counter, looked down at the floor and sighed.

"You said you loved my daughter. You asked Rory to marry you. But then when she wasn't ready, you walked away. I didn't expect that when you and I talked."

Logan slowly took a deep breath before raising his head to meet Lorelai's eyes.

"I didn't expect that either." he said softly. "I screwed up. I was hurt. I thought we were there. I thought we wanted the same things. I never expected her to say no."

"And now it's been over 8 years, and you guys haven't had any contact."

"I know . . . I reached for the phone so many times, but one day became two, which became a week, then a month. Then several months. And I kept chickening out. I kept telling myself that if Rory loved me as much as I loved her, she would call. Somehow I just justified everything in my head. I was stupid and stubborn, and I just couldn't come right out and admit that I was wrong."

"Did you know that Rory did the exact same thing? She kept telling me that it had been so long that she was sure that you had forgotten all about her. Any time my parents or anyone mentioned your name, Rory just tuned them out. She refused to hear anything about you. Rory said that if you wanted her to know, you would reach out."

"Paris told me that if I ever asked her to be the go between, she would castrate me."

"I wouldn't put that past her either." Lorelai said with a soft chuckle. "So what does this all mean now? Its been 8 1/2 years."

"Honestly?" Logan started, but then paused for a moment, trying to get his thoughts straight. "That is all up to Rory."

"Judging by your face, you still have feelings for her."

"There's never been anyone else . . . And yes, I know how incredibly insane that sounds."

"Well I'm not going to be your go between either. It's no secret that I didn't like you in the past. But everything has changed now. Neither one of you are the babies that you used to be. You are both grown up now, with fancy careers. Especially you! Never in a million years did I ever expect you to go to medical school. But you did. And now you're here, standing in this hospital room, taking amazing care of my baby girl."

"I ran into her at the coffee shop this morning. Did she tell you?"

"Not yet. But I'm sure she will later. She's been thru a lot today."

"I was just in the right place, at the right time."

"You have a tendency to do that." Lorelai told him with a gentle smile.

"I was just sitting there drinking my coffee before work, scrolling through my e-mail, as if I have some kind of exciting life or something. Next thing I know, this beautiful woman walks in with some other lady. I glanced up when the door opened, and I saw this gorgeous brunette, but I couldn't see her face very well. I wasn't even paying attention to her, until I heard her voice. I didn't even believe it at first. I kept telling myself that there was no way Rory was there, and that I was just being stupid and imagining it. But I know her voice so well, and I had to do something. So as they were leaving, I decided to say hi. I guess I've been lucky."

"So what now then?"

"This morning I asked Rory to meet me for dinner sometime."

"That's a good start."

"And I was thinking that if it all goes well, maybe I can convince her to give me another chance."

"Well, judging by today, I'd say that she definitely owes you dinner."

"So you're ok with us trying again?"

"If it's what Rory wants, then I am definitely ok with it."

"Alright." Logan answered with a smile of his own. "Let me ask you one more thing . . . It's already been over ten years . . . If things go my way, can I start calling you mom?"

"I think you might have to. But . . . Let's leave that up to Rory, ok?"

"Deal!" Logan said holding his hand out toward Lorelai.

"You just better not hurt her. Because if you do, you'll have both of us, Paris, AND Luke to deal with."

"That's a promise I can definitely get behind."

"Ok then." Lorelai agreed, shaking Logan's hand.

"Why don't you order some food, and I'll be back with the supplies to stitch Rory up, so we can get you guys out of here. We'll wake her up when I come back."

"Good plan. Give me 3 minutes." Lorelai told him.

"I may need a few more than that."

"Sounds good." Lorelai told him, watching Logan head out of the room to get all the supplies he was gong to need for Rory.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey Rory, it's time to wake up." Lorelai said, gently shaking her daughter to wake her up. All of your test results are in."

"Hey Ace, how are you feeling?" Logan asked as Rory's eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Like I got hit by a truck."

"Good news, food is on its way!" Lorelai told her.

"Actually, it's in my hand." Paris said walking into the room with a large bag of food. "Who bought out Jimmy John's?"

"That would be Lorelai." Logan answered.

"Hey, I had to feed all you children! Cut me a break here! I know you people all eat like Gilmores."

"Hey, I blame your daughter for that one!" Paris told her.

"Me too!" Logan agreed with a laugh.

"And I blame you for it, so that makes the three of us all your fault." Rory added.

"Well don't blame me, blame Gran. I swear, it's the Lorelai paradox! With the name comes a bottomless stomach." Lorelai told them.

"So let's eat then." Paris announced.

"Actually, let's hold off for a minute." Logan told her. "We should get Rory stitched up first."

"So the test results are back?"

"Like you didn't log in and check them yourself? Logan asked.

"Not yet, but I will."

"Don't bother. I already have them pulled up. Nothing is broken, no ligaments or torn and detached muscles. It's just a large deep cut. I'm going to stitch you up myself, then cast you for extra protection." Logan explained too everyone. "I've also got another unit of blood that I want to give you, just to be extra safe."

"So there weren't any veins damaged either?" Lorelai asked.

"It looks like only one, but the paramedics already took care of it." Logan told her as he pressed the nurse button next to Rory.

"Can I help you?" A female voice asked thru the speaker.

"Will you send Veronica in please?" Logan asked.

"Right away!" The voice answered, then the speaker shut off.

"Rory, I need to clean the wound before I stitch it up, so I'm going to give you some more morphine, then do a numbing injection in your arm, ok? You and Lorelai probably don't want to watch any of it." Logan explained.

"OK." Rory answered timidly.

"What color cast would you like?"

"Can you do purple?"

"Right again!" Logan smiled.

"You're two for two." Lorelai told him.

"What does that mean?" Rory asked.

"Logan told me to order you the beach club from Jimmy John's because it's your favorite."

"What if I wanted something else?"

"Yeah right!" Paris smirked.

"You don't know me!" Rory told her, sticking her tongue out toward Paris.

"I have Parmesan garlic fries coming from the Cafe upstairs in 30 minutes." Logan told them.

"Oh, but he sure knows you!" Lorelai laughed.

"Maybe a little." Rory agreed with a bashful smiled.

"Should we get started so we can eat soon? I know how hungry you are." Logan asked.

"How badly is it going to hurt?"

"It shouldn't at all once I numb you."

"You promise?" Rory asked, meeting Logan's eyes.

"I'll do my best." Logan promised, as Veronica walked into the room with the rest of the supplies she had gathered. "Alright, let's do this! Paris, you distract Lorelai and Rory, and Veronica is going to help me with everything else. Paris, would you mind giving Rory the morphine?"

"Easy peasy lemon squeezie!" Paris agreed, taking the syringe from Logan.

"Please make sure you flush the line too." Logan told her, handing over a second syringe.

"Not my first rodeo Huntsberger! Besides, I'm the one who taught you how to do all of this."

"I'll hang the transfusion." Veronica offered, holding her hand out for the bag of blood Logan had brought into the room.

"It's been like this since Paris got here." Rory said looking toward Lorelai, and rolling her eyes. "These two both have egos the size of of the empire state building, and they like to argue over who is the better doctor."

"Welcome to the rest of your life, kid!" Lorelai laughed.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Rory asked as the morphine began to hit her.

"I'll tell you about it a little later. Mommy may have had a little chat with someone." Lorelai whispered in Rory's ear.

* * *

30 minutes later, Rory was medicated, numbed up, stitched, and casted.

"Is there anything else you need Doctor Huntsberger?" Veronica asked.

"Nope, thank you for all your help. I appreciate it a lot."

"No problem. I'll go finish up that discharge paperwork."

"Hey Veronica," Lorelai started. "You need to eat too." She said holding out a sandwich. "Thank you for everything!"

"Thank you, you are so sweet! You really didn't have to do this." Veronica gushed.

"I know. But you guys have taken amazing care of my baby today. It's just my way of saying thank you. And I'm sorry for all of the drama."

"Oh it's no problem at all. I'm happy to help. It's been an enlightening day for me."

"You've learned who to turn to for blackmail." Lorelai snickered with a knowing nod.

"Pretty much!"

"Just remember one thing. I'm the one with blackmail on both of them. And neither one has any on me."

"Oh really?!" Paris started."Have we forgotten about Mister Medina?"

"Oh Honey, you've forgotten one little detail." Lorelai told her. "It's not blackmail if it's already public knowledge.

"And the fact that you were also engaged to him." Rory added.

"I'm going to go work on your discharge. You guys enjoy your reunion." Veronica smiled, then quickly left the room.

"Well we're an uncomfortable bunch!" Rory announced as the door closed.

"Welcome to life in the frat house!" Paris said insincerely. "Now pass out those sandwiches!"

"Doctor Huntsberger, your order just arrived." a nurse said, knocking gently on the door, then popping her head in.

"Perfect timing! Thank you Janice!" Logan said taking the paper bag from her. He reached inside, removing a styrofoam container, and set it in front of Rory. "Because I know you can never eat a sandwich without french fries."

"Logan, thank you!"

"It's the least I can do after torturing you for the last several hours. After you've eaten, I'll get you discharged, ok?"

"Sounds perfect! I don't even know what time it is anymore."

"Crap! It's after 7." Paris told her, looking at her watch. "I actually have to go. I need to tuck my kids into bed, and send the nanny home."

"Paris, thank you for all your help today." Logan said turning to his friend. "Having you here was a huge help."

"Rory is my best friend. I wouldn't be anywhere else." Paris told him, then turned and hugged Lorelai. "Thank you for coming Lorelai. It was so good to see you again."

"Hey, Rory is my baby. I'll always be here for her. And for you. You better bring those kids to see me soon."

"I will. Maybe we'll drive down with Rory in a few weeks."

"I would love that! Here, take your sandwich."

"Thank you so much! Rory, you call me if you need anything, ok? I mean it."

"I will Paris. Thank you for being here today." Rory said holding her left arm out toward her best friend. "You made this a lot more bearable."

"Any time. Call me tomorrow and let me know how you're doing. I can stop by after work if you need anything."

"Thank you, I will." Rory said hugging her best friend.

"Have a good night you guys. Drive home safe." Paris said, then turned and left the room.

"And then there were 3!" Lorelai announced. "Sandwiches?"

"Yes please!" Rory said holding her hand out.

"Honey, I'll cut this up for you. That way you can feed yourself easier since Logan casted you from your fingers to your forearm."

"Thanks Mommy!" Rory happily chirped, digging into the fries Logan had placed in front of her.

"Here's your sandwich Logan." Lorelai smiled as Logan sat down in the chair next to Rory's bed.

"Thank you so much! I haven't eaten since this morning either."

"What time are you off tonight?"

"Hopefully in the next hour. This sandwich tastes amazing!" Logan answered around a mouth full of food.

"If you don't have any plans, do you mind coming by and helping me get Rory settled at her place?" Lorelai asked as Rory's head shot up and she turned to look at her mother.

"Only if it's alright with Rory." Logan chuckled. "I'm pretty sure I've invaded her life enough today."

"No, it's fine." Rory told them, going back to eating her fries as Lorelai finished cutting up her sandwich. "Mom is going to need the help getting things set up. My apartment isn't exactly guest ready, much less handicapped Rory ready. If Paris hadn't needed to get home, I was going to ask her to come by."

"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude on your life any more than I already have today."

"It's really ok. My place is just kind of a mess. Things have been crazy at work, so I haven't exactly had time to clean. I was planning to get everything done this weekend."

"Sorry Ace, but I don't really see you doing much this weekend. Logan told her. "I'm writing you out of work for the next week. I need you to rest and let your hand heal. Plus, you're going to be in some pain, so your best course of action is to just sleep and watch TV."

"Please tell me you're kidding?" Rory said, her head snapping up and looking back and forth between Lorelai and Logan. "Mom?"

"Sorry kid. Doctor's orders."

"Logan, I can't do that! I have so much to get done, and I just took half a day today! I'm already behind, I can't possibly take any more time off!"

"Rory, relax. You got hurt at work. It's called worker's comp. They kind of have to do whatever I say until you are released back to your normal routine by a licensed physician. They don't get any other options."

"And you'll still get paid even though you're not there." Lorelai added.

"Logan, no!"

"I'm sorry Ace. My hands are tied. Hippocratic Oath. I can do no harm to my patients."

"And do I get a choice in this at all?"

"Would you like more than one week off? Because I really should be giving you at least two."

"Logan, please don't."

"I'll release you pending a check up with either myself, or an orthopedic surgeon."

"That's smart." Lorelai told him. I guessing you are sending in a referral?"

"Already done!" Logan smiled.

"Thanks for helping mom." Rory said with a roll of her eyes.

"Rory, we are just doing what is in your best interest." Lorelai told her. "You need to heal Honey."

"I'll make your a deal Ace." Logan started. "If you will agree to take it easy for at least the next week, and not fight us on resting, so you can actually heal, I'll make some calls and get approval so you can work from home. And I'll even come help you when I'm not working."

"Is that your final offer?" Rory asked.

"It's either that, or I can write you out for a full 2-4 weeks until your cast comes off, the stitches are removed, and you've been seen and cleared by an orthopedic surgeon."

"Fine. You win." Rory pouted.

"And that's why he's the one who went to medical school." Lorelai said gently patting Rory's leg.

"And I don't suggest you call Paris to complain about me, because you know that she'll jump all over me for not writing you out for a full 4-6 weeks. And then she'll rip into you for wanting to go back so soon before you are fully recovered."

"Sometimes it really just sucks to have people that actually like you." Rory said sulkily.

"Do you want me to call Grandma? Because I could definitely make things harder for your by alerting Emily Gilmore." Lorelai offered.

"Nice!" Logan laughed. "Talk about blackmail!"

"Mom ..." Rory warned.

"Rory, what pharmacy do you want your prescriptions sent to? I can have the hospital pharmacy fill them for you if you'd like?" Logan asked, changing the subject.

"I don't really care. Mom? What do you think is easier?"

"Here is fine. I can pick them up when I go to get the car." Lorelai answered.

"Good plan. I'm going to go finish up your paperwork, and get your prescriptions submitted. I'll be back shortly. Lorelai, thank you so much for dinner."

"It was my pleasure. It was the least I could do after everything you've done for Rory today."

"I appreciate it immensely! I'll be back shortly. Let me know if you need anything." Logan said as he stood up, and left the room, throwing away his dinner trash on his way out.

"So you guys talked?" Rory asked once the door was closed.

"Just a little bit."

"And?"

"You can tell by his face Rory. That kid clearly still has feelings for you."

"It's been 8 years Mom. I'm sure he's moved on."

"Not even close! Look Rory, I love you. I'm your mom, and I know that you've always had strong feelings for Logan. And it's definitely not a secret that I never liked him when you were dating back at Yale. But Rory, things change. People change. I never in a million years expected to hear that Logan completely turned his back, and bailed on his family. He went to medical school, Rory. Logan who has a bachelor's degree in journalism and was supposed to be handed the family newspaper publishing empire, completely gave it all up, and went to medical school. And then he graduated, and works at one of the best, most reputable hospitals in the state! Even you have to admit that he has done very well for himself in the last 8 years."

"It's definitely shocking!" Rory agreed.

"I don't want to be your go between Honey. But Logan loves you. He made a mistake walking away from you at your graduation. He told me the exact same thing that you've told me for the last 8 years. He's been wanting to call you, but then chickened out thinking that maybe you would call him."

"He said that?" Rory asked in a small hope laced voice.

"You didn't hear it from me though, ok? Ever since I got here today, you've both had this stupid love sick puppy look on your face whenever the other isn't looking."

"Oh come on. That's not true!"

"I have the pictures to prove it." Lorelai said, reaching for her phone that was laying on the tablet next to Rory's bed.

"So what do you think I should do?"

"That's for you to decide kiddo. But no matter what decision you make, I fully support you, ok?"

"You do?" Rory asked.

"I might not have liked Logan 8 years ago. But he's grown up, and really impressed me today."

"And he's gotten way more gorgeous!" Rory told her. "I've never been a fan of facial hair, but mom, did you see him?!"

"Uh yeah, I'm human! Those looks are definitely working for him! Every nurse in this hospital has been throwing themselves at his feet."

"How do you know?"

"It's pretty obvious by the way they talk to him, and drool when he's not looking. Even Veronica was doing it."

"Veronica has a kid."

"Yeah, so! I had at kid at one point too. That never stopped me from looking."

"So you're saying that I should give him a chance?"

"Just start slow. See where it takes you. You could try being friends for a while."

"I can't believe that you invited him over tonight. What were you thinking?!"

"Actually, I was thinking that Luke won't be here until tomorrow, and I could use some help getting you home and all set up in bed."

"Mom, my apartment is a disaster. There is laundry piled up needing to be done, my bathrooms haven't been cleaned in a few weeks, there are a bunch of take out containers pulled up in my trash can, and a bunch more in my fridge that need to be thrown away, and the only food in the whole place is coffee and a box of pop tarts."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of all of it. Luke is bringing food tomorrow, and you know he'll do some grocery shopping and fill your fridge up with ready to eat meals. All you will have to do is turn on the microwave. Everything is going to be ok. We'll just get you home tonight, and I'll have Logan sit with you while I get things cleaned up, and get your laundry started."

"The bed isn't even made in the guest room."

"That's ok. I can sleep with you tonight. It's fine. I'll take care of it before Luke gets here tomorrow. And while Luke is cooking I'll have him keep an eye on you so I can run up to your office. I'll need to take them your medical paperwork, and I'm sure you have some stuff there that you want brought home, right?"

"Have I told you that you are the best Mommy in the whole world?" Rory asked.

"Maybe once or twice." Lorelai told her.

"I love you Mom. Thank you for being here."

"Hey, there is no where else in the world that I would rather be. You're my baby. I will always be here when you need me. And don't even try to kick me out because I am not leaving until I am 150% positive that you can take care of yourself again."

"So then movie night tomorrow?"

"You've got yourself a deal kid!"

"I've really missed you Mom."

"I know baby. I've missed you too.

* * *

"Knock knock!" a friendly voice said from the door as it slowly owned.

"Wassup home slice!?" Lorelai answered.

"Doctor Huntsberger asked me to bring these to you." Veronica said setting some clothes on the table next to Lorelai. "He said you might be more comfortable in these than in the blood soaked clothes you had on when you got here. Your transfusion is done, so I'm going to pull your IV, and then you can get dressed. Doctor Huntsberger will be in shortly with your discharge instructions."

"Thank you Veronica." Rory smiled. "You've been amazing today!"

"It's my pleasure." Veronica told her as she pulled on some rubber gloves and grabbed the supplies she needed to remove Rory's IV.

Once Rory's IV was removed, and Veronica had left the room, Lorelai helped Rory out of the bed, and assisted her getting dressed. When they were finished, Lorelai got Rory settled once again and began packing up their stuff from the room. She was just finishing up when there was a knock at the door and Logan walked back in.

"You look a lot better Ace."

"Logan, thank you! You didn't have to buy me new clothes though."

"I actually didn't. I thought about it, but I didn't think it would be very appropriate for the entire staff to find out about. These were actually part of a donation for patients like car accident or rape victims who's clothes are either too soiled or have been taken for evidence. We have a donation room full of soft comfortable clothing for any patient who needs it. I just went in there and grabbed things I thought you would like."

"And this?" Rory asked pointing to the zippered hoodie she was wearing with the name Dr. L Huntsberger embroidered on the front.

"That came from my locker. It's a little bit chilly outside."

"You realize that you may never get it back, right?"

"That's fine. You keep it as long as you'd like." Logan told her. "It looks good on you."

"Logan, should I go pull the car around?" Lorelai asked, interrupting the flirting that was happening in front of her.

"Yeah go ahead. Rory's prescriptions should be ready. The pharmacy is thru the waiting room, at the end of the long hallway."

"Thank you Logan. I texted you Rory's address. Just stop by whenever you're done."

"I saw it come through. I just need to finish up some paperwork, then I'll grab a shower and head out."

"Sounds great. Do you mind helping Rory out to the car so I can take all this stuff out?"

"I'm more than happy to. I just need to her to sign some release papers."

"Is there anything special that I need to know?"

"It's all standard. I'll go over it with you when we get Rory settled."

"Alrighty then! Rory, here is your phone. I'm taking your purse with me. I'll text you when I'm ready for you."

"Ok thank you." Rory said taking the phone and sliding it into the hoodie pocket.

"I'll see you outside." Lorelai told them, then grabbed the last of their things and headed out the door.

"I just need a few signatures." Logan said as Rory turned back to face him.

"You really don't have to come over tonight if you don't want to, or have other plans."

"Rory . . . We need to talk . . . But we can't do it here. Too many eyes and ears."

"I know what you mean."

"Let's just get you home and settled tonight, and then when you are feeling up to it, we'll talk, ok?"

"Ok."

"I need you to sign some papers." Logan told her setting the papers in his hand down on the table in front of her, and taking a seat next to her on the bed. "This first one is your consent saying that you were brought in by ambulance with a laceration to the right extremity, and significant blood loss. I just need your signature at the bottom." Rory scribbled her name the best she could using her left hand, then watched as Logan flipped to the next page. "This one says that I gave you two units of A- blood from our emergency bank." Again, Rory scribbled her name at the bottom of the page, and Logan moved on to the next one. "This one says that you received 3 bags of fluids, pain killer, tetanus shot, and imaging via x-ray and MRI . . . Next page . . . This one states that you are aware that you were given morphine in your IV, and that you you are not permitted to operate any vehicle or heavy machinery for the next 72 hours as per New York state law . . . This one says that you are being released to your mother's care, and that she will remain your care giver for the next 24-48 hours while the morphine works its way thru your system . . . Next one states that you received 25 stitches and a waterproof cast. You can shower with it uncovered after 24 hours, but personally, I would keep it covered because it tends to smell better if you do . . . Next is your prescriptions. You have an antibiotic, a steroid and some pain killer. You are to take them as directed, and you will follow up with your doctor within 5 days of your release from this hospital, meaning Tuesday . . . Two more. This one is your acknowledging that I have written you out of work for two weeks, or until you are released by a licensed physician . . . Last one..." Logan said as he flipped to the final page. "This one is just consent to bill the New York Times worker's compensation company, and provide them with your medical records." Logan explained as Rory scribbled her name one last time. "You are all done. You are officially free to go. I will get you copies on your way out."

"Logan ..." Rory started looking up at the man in front of her.

"Yeah ..."

"Thank you." Rory said softly. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"You are welcome Ace. This is what I do. It's my job."

"Logan ..." Rory started again, reaching for his hand. "You've done way more than just your job for me today."

"What did you expect? Did you think I would turn my back on you? Ask someone else, less qualified than I am, to take care of you?"

"No. None of that. I know you better than all that . . . I just want to say thank you . . . It's been a pretty traumatizing day, but you made it a lot more bearable."

"You don't need to thank me Ace. This us what I do. I would do anything for you."

Rory smiled and wrapped her arms around Logan to hug him.

"I'm really glad you were here today."

"Me too." Logan agreed wrapping his own arms around Rory, closing his eyes and breathing in the sweet scent of her hair. After a moment they both heard Rory's phone chime with a text message, and pulled apart.

"Mom is pulling up outside."

"Let's get you home then. I'll be right back with a wheel chair and copies of your paperwork." Logan told her as he stood up and left the room with all of the paperwork that Rory had just signed. "Janice, will you make me 2 copies of these papers please?" Logan asked the first nurse he saw sitting at the admin desk.

"Doctor Huntsberger, do you need me to wheel your patient out?" Another nurse asked.

"No, but thank you. She's an old friend. I'll take her myself. Thank you Janice." Logan said taking the papers back. "Go ahead and put those originals on my desk. It's a worker's comp case, so I have extra paperwork to do."

"Sure thing Doctor Huntsberger."

"is this the wheelchair I asked for?"

"Yes it is."

"Thank you for your help." Logan answered, then turned and headed back to Rory's room. "Your chariot awaits, madam."


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

* * *

An hour and a half later, Lorelai had just gotten Rory home, and was trying to get her into bed when there was a knock at the door.

"You better have Girl Scout Cookies!" Lorelai called out as she headed toward the door, and looked thru the peep hole.

"That's a pretty tough order when it's not cookie season" Logan answered as the door opened.

"Damn! I was hoping you had some kind of magical powers."

"Actually, I've heard that Dollar General carries Girl Scout cookies under a private label, but they're made by the exact same company. And they're less than half the cost."

"Is this true?"

"The nurses eat them all the time."

"There's a store down the street. It closes at 11." Rory told her. "Get me Thin Mints."

"Wait a minute? You knew about this magical cookie land?"

"You didn't?"

"Hello, I live in the Hollow!"

"You better hurry up. It's after 10."

"Crap!" Lorelai said grabbing her purse off the couch. "Logan, will you please tell Rory that she needs to go lay down?"

"I promise to go lay down if you grab ice cream too."

"Um hi, who raised you?! I'll be back shortly!"

"Thanks Mom!" Rory said closing and locking the door behind Lorelai.

"Ace, you really should be in bed."

"I know. I just have a lot to do around here. This place is a mess! I've been so busy with work lately that I haven't had any time to do anything else. I haven't even been getting home until after 9pm, and then I'm scarfing down food while doing more work on my laptop until around 2am, when I finally pass out from exhaustion."

"You know that isn't healthy."

"Yeah, well, neither is living off pop tarts and coffee for my entire life, but it hasn't killed me yet."

"Have you taken your medication yet?"

"No. I'm still really numb."

"Trust me, that won't last. And when it wears off, you're going to be in a world of pain!"

"Well, until that happens I have time to get some stuff done." Rory said as she moved over toward the couch, and reached for the blanket that was thrown there in a heap.

"Ace, come on. Let's get you in bed. You don't need to do anything other than rest."

"No, Logan, I'm fine. Really, I can do this."

"Rory. You've been thru a lot today, and I know from experience that you are on the verge of a major breakdown." Logan said, grabbing her arm, and pulling her back toward him. "I've been with you for most of the last 10 hours. You've been pretending to be ok all day, and you haven't shed a single tear. I've seen grown men cry over lesser injuries. I know you Rory. And I know what you've been thru. It's been a really rough day. You don't have to be strong anymore."

"I'm fine Logan."

"No you aren't. You're drugged is what you are."

"And who's fault is that?!"

"Rory . . . Come on. Let's get you into bed."

"Logan, no! I need to get this place cleaned up!" Rory snapped at him. "This apartment is a disaster, and I need to get it cleaned up! I haven't had any time lately, but now you've pulled me out of work for the next two weeks, so I finally have some time to get things done around here. You've forbidden me from going to work, and for once, I don't have my laptop, so it's not like I can get any actual work done, so I really have nothing better to do that to finally clean my house!" Rory said getting more upset as tears started to threaten to fall from her eyes. "Please, just let me clean my freaking house!"

Logan pulled Rory into his arms, hugging her tight as the tears began to overflow, and she burst into hysterics.

"It's ok Ace. Just let it all out. I've got you." Logan said in a calm voice as Rory cried in his arms.

"I hate this Logan! I hate this! I'm not supposed to be hurt! I have so much to do! I don't have time to sit home and do nothing! I need to work! I have so much work to get done!"

"Not anymore you don't. I think that maybe you getting hurt today was actually a blessing in disguise. You've had so much going on that you aren't sleeping, you aren't eating decently, and you don't have any time for yourself. You don''t even get to come home at night and lounge in front of the tv to decompress. You just come home and jump right back into whatever work you were doing at the office until you finally pass out from exhaustion. That isn't healthy. You need to slow down."

"Logan, I work for a major newspaper!" Rory snapped trying to pull herself away from him, but Logan just held on.

"I know you do. And I was raised in that business. If anyone knows how overwhelmingly consuming that job becomes, it's me. Rory, you are exhausted!"

"But it's my career Logan! This is what I've worked my whole life for!"

"And it'll be there waiting for you when you get back."

"No it won't! As soon as I don't show up at the office tomorrow, I won't have a job anymore! I'll be fired, and they'll replace me with someone else!"

"That's not true Rory. And it's illegal."

"How is it illegal?! That's how these things work. You have a great job that a million other people would kill for, and you think they won't be replacing you the second you can no longer perform on demand?! Are you crazy?! They'll have me replaced before lunch time!"

"Ace, that isn't going to happen. I promise! They can't do that to you. When you get hurt at work, there are laws forbidding them from terminating your employment. By law, they are required to continue to pay you and keep you on staff for as long as your doctor deems necessary for you to be out of work for recovery. And then, even when you are released to go back, they have to continue to accommodate you while you continue to recover from your injuries. You won't even have to go back to working full-time if you don't want to. You can work part-time for a while, or you can work from home. Whatever you and your doctor feel is best for you. And your boss has no choice but to shut up and go along with it, or they'll have a monster of a lawsuit to deal with!" Logan told her. "Trust me, no one is losing their job over this unless your boss is a complete jerk, and tries to fight me on not releasing you to go back. And in that case, all I have to do is make one phone call, and he'll no longer have a job!"

"What?! You can't take his job!"

"You wanna bet? Have you met my father?!"

"But the New York Times isn't even part of HPG. Your dad can't fire someone he's not in charge of."

"Which leaves only two options. Either my dad makes a call to his buddy Arthur Sulzberger, at NYTC, and lets him know what is going on, so Arthur can fire the guy, or my Dad buys NYTC, and goes in and fires the guy himself. And trust me when I tell you that my dad has been wanting to buy NYTC for a couple decades now."

"Logan, your dad wouldn't do that just so I can keep my job."

"Trust me Ace. He won't have to. But if it came down to you being in danger of being terminated, I wouldn't have to call my dad, because I would be in Arthur's office myself."

"Logan . . ." Rory said softly, finally starting to calm down.

"Come on Ace. Let's get you into bed. You're exhausted! Your mom will be back with cookies and ice cream soon. Let's get you in bed and comfortable so you can chow down before passing out."

"Logan, we need to talk."

"Not tonight. This isn't a conversation that we should be having while you are drugged up on pain killer. We'll talk once you are feeling better."

"Logan . . ."

"Rory, I need you to trust me right now. Nothing is going to change between us. I know what I want, and that isn't going to ever change. But I won't discuss anything important or emotional with you, until you aren't completely drugged up, and you are capable to making life changing decisions."

"Life changing decisions Logan? Really?!"

'Rory. Trust me on this one. I won't do this while you're drugged up. It's not right."

"Fine. Whatever." Rory said turning her back, and moving away from Logan.

"Rory, come on! Don't put this on me. This isn't fair."

"Oh, you want to talk fair?! Really?! You just pulled me out of work. For 2 weeks! You just took away my job that I love!"

"Rory, we just discussed this. No one is taking your job away from you. You will be able to go back as soon as you are recovered enough to actually be productive."

"So you say . . ."

"Rory, I'm not going to argue with you about this. We literally JUST had this discussion!"

"Just had what discussion?" Lorelai asked as the door opened, and she walked back into Rory's apartment with a few bags from Dollar General.

"The workers comp discussion." Logan told her.

"Rory, you and I have already had that same discussion tonight. You are overly tired, loaded up on pain killer, and need to get some sleep." Lorelai told her. "Why don't you go climb into bed, and I'll bring you some cookies and ice cream to eat."

"Do I get an opinion on this?!" Rory asked.

"Sure! Would you like chocolate or Vanilla ice cream?"

"Vanilla. And I want the container."

"Go get in bed. I'll be right in."

"Thank you." Logan sighed as Rory turned and headed to her bedroom.

"Has she been like this since I left?"

"For the most part. I might have pushed her into the emotional breakdown that I knew was coming, and now she's just exhausted and irrational."

"Oh good, so breakdown over?"

"Maybe? I hope so? It wasn't too long. I actually thought it would have lasted a lot longer. I kind of thought she would be so exhausted that she would cry herself to sleep."

"That rarely happens with Rory. But the anger part, that is definitely something she holds onto until she passes out."

"I think I'm going to head out."

"But I got ice cream and cookies!"

"I know. Thank you Lorelai. It's been a really long day though, and Rory is pretty upset right now. I think it's best if I just go. I need to go take my dog out."

"You have a dog!?"

"I have a German Shepard. He's two years old."

"What did you name him?"

"His name is Rocky." Logan said, pulling his phone and showing her the picture of him and Rocky on his lock screen.

"He looks really happy! I never pegged you for a dog person."

"I wasn't. But then one day I was really bored, and realized just how lonely my empty apartment was, and I just went out and adopted a dog."

"You pulled a Lorelai!"

"Yeah, I guess I did." Logan laughed. "I need to get home, and take him out, but I'll check in with you tomorrow, ok?"

"Alright. Thank you for everything today! Make sure you say goodbye to Rory, or she'll freak."

"No problem." Logan smiled, then headed back through the apartment to Rory's bedroom.

"Hey Ace, I'm heading home." Logan said knocking on the door frame.

"Fine." Rory responded flatly.

"Rory, please don't be mad at me. I just want what is best for you."

"Whatever."

"I'll call you tomorrow." Logan told her, then turned and walked back to the living room.

"She'll be fine." Lorelai told him. "This is just how she processes things."

"I know. She never makes things easy on me."

"I'll talk to her. Things will be better tomorrow."

"Thank you Lorelai. For everything!"

"It was my pleasure! Let me know that you got home safe, ok?"

"I will. Have a good night."

"You too." Lorelai smiled walking Logan out, then locking up the apartment, and getting ice cream and cookies ready for herself and Rory.

"Did he really leave?" Rory asked as Lorelai walked into the room with their ice cream, and boxes of cookies under her arms.

"Did you not want him to?"

"No."

"Well then why were you arguing with him?" Lorelai asked as she handed Rory a bowl of ice cream, then sat down on the bed next to her.

"I don't know. I'm just frustrated."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"He won't talk to me."

"Did he say that?"

"He said I'm too drugged up to be making life changing decisions."

"Well I actually agree with that. You need to have a clear head before you start having those important emotional conversations."

"But I'm sick of waiting Mom! It's been 8 years!"

"Yes it has. But you both needed that time to grow up. I honestly don't think he would have gone to medical school had you guys stayed together after college. And you wouldn't have gone off on the campaign trail. You guys needed time to figure out who you are, and what you want from your lives. Look at Luke and I. It took us over 8 years before we finally got together, and 20 years to finally get married. And then there's your Dad . . ."

"Why is this kind of stuff so freaking hard?"

"Well, anything worth having, always takes work. If it was easy, we would never appreciate it."

"I don't even have his phone number so I can apologize for being such an emotional nightmare." Rory said sadly.

"Check your phone."

"What do you mean?"

"Just what I said. Check your phone. I'm going to go get your medication for you, then start on your laundry. Maybe if I start soaking it, I can get all the blood out of your clothes."

"I doubt it. You can just throw them away."

"Rory, you just focus on getting some rest, and let me work my mommy magic, ok?"

"Thank you Mom. I don't know what I would do without you right now."

"Well luckily for you, you'll never have to find out because I'm not going anywhere." Lorelai said as her phone rang. "Hey, it's your Dad." she said, pulling the phone out of her pocket. "Hey Chris."

Hey Lor, are you at Rory's?"

"Yes I am. Why do you ask?"

"I'm at the door, will you come let me in?"

"I'll be right there." She said hanging up her phone. "Your dad is here."

"Here? Like at my apartment?"

"Yeah. He's at the front door."

"Why?"

"I don't know. He must have jumped in the car after I texted him to let him know what happened." Lorelai said leaving Rory's room, and heading to the front door to let Christopher in. "Hey Chris." she said opening the door, and stepping aside to let Chris in.

"I went to the hospital, and they said Rory had been released, so I came here."

"She's in her room."

"Is she asleep?"

"Hi Dad!" Rory called out.

"You go on back. I've gotta get some laundry started."

"Thanks Lor."

"You're welcome."

"Hey Kid! How are you feeling?" Christopher asked as he walked into Rory's bedroom, and sat down next to her on the bed.

"Exhausted!"

"I can only imagine. What happened? Your mom told me you were in the ER, and I jumped in my car without even thinking. I'm sorry it took so long, traffic was a nightmare!"

"I can't believe that you came all the way here from Boston."

"Hey, you're my daughter. Of course I came. I may not be the best father, but I'll always be here for you if you need me."

"Thanks Dad."

"So tell me what happened."

"Actually, would you mind if mom explains everything? I'm really tired, and feel like I could sleep for a month."

"Yeah, of course. Just one more question."

"What's that?"

"Why does your sweater say Dr. L Huntsberger?"

"I'll explain that too." Lorelai said walking back into the room. "Here Honey, take your meds, then try to get some sleep, ok?"

"Thanks Mom. You two have fun fighting over who gets to sleep where."

"Don't even worry about it, I can get a hotel." Christopher spoke up.

"Dad, you can stay here. I don't mind. You came all this way just to check on me. One of you can take the couch, and the other can take the guest room."

"Don't be silly Rory." Lorelai told her. "I'm sleeping right here with you, so I can make sure you are ok. Your dad can take the guest room. Come on Chris. I have a lot of work to do for Rory, and we can talk while you help me."

* * *

"So what you're saying is that Logan, Rory's ex-boyfriend Logan, the newspaper publishing heir, went to medical school?!" Christopher asked in a baffled tone.

"Yep! Rory ran into him at the coffee shop by her office this morning."

"Wow! This is crazy!"

"I know!" Lorelai agreed as they sat in the apartment building's laundry room, waiting on Rory's laundry. "He told me that he was sitting there checking his email, and in she walked with a friend."

"Wait, so are you and Logan friendly now? Because last I heard, you hated the guy!"

"I guess you could say that Logan and I have a lot I common, and I actually am starting to really respect that kid."

"I can't believe he completely bailed on his family."

"I don't have all the details, but from what I was told by him and Paris, he paid for medical school himself."

"How?!"

"No idea! Student loans maybe?"

"Yikes!"

"I'm proud of him for it! Apparently his parents are still fuming about it. Logan said that they act like they're proud for an audience, but he doesn't even see them much."

"Poor guy!"

"I told him how completely shocked and proud of him I am, and I gave him a mom hug. Poor kid had never had one."

"That's awful!"

"I know!"

"So what's going on with him and Rory? You said she ran into him at the coffee shop. Did she not know he was here in town?"

"You know how Rory is. She completely shut down after they broke up. Paris said that she tried to tell Rory when she first ran into Logan at school, but Rory was apparently so shut down, that she ignored Paris, and has no recollection of it. Any time my Mom or Dad brought up Logan's name, or anyone in his family, she completely tuned them out, and said that if Logan wanted her to know, he would reach out to her himself. She's refused to talk to anybody about him, including me."

"Well, she definitely got both of our stubborn streaks."

"I kind of feel bad now, you know? I mean, I knew she was hurting, but at the time, I really didn't like Logan very much, so I was kind of glad that they split up. I didn't think that he was right for her. I knew that she loved him, and that she wanted to be with him, but she wasn't ready to get married yet. Rory needed to figure out who she is, and what she wanted to do with her life. And I fully applauded her for that. That was such a great decision that she made. But it wasn't until today, that I fully realized just how much she was hurting when Logan left. I never realized just how completely devastated Rory was. I'm supposed to be her best friend, and I had no idea!"

"Lor, I don't think anyone knew. I don't even really think that Rory did."

"Well, it seems to be all hitting her right now."

"How so?"

"I attempted to help things by inviting Logan over tonight to help me get Rory settled in after she was released. Then I stupidly left them alone while I ran out for ice cream and girl scout cookies, and when I got back, they were arguing, and Rory was really upset."

"Wait, did you just say that you ran out for ice cream and girl scout cookies? Because last time I checked, September wasn't cookie season? Did they change it?"

"Ok, so check this out. I had no idea until Logan told me. Apparently Rory knew, but no one bothered to tell me until tonight. So you know those Dollar General stores that are popping up all over the place?"

"Yeah? I've never been in one."

"Well you need to go because they carry girl scout cookies under a private label, made by the exact same company, for less than half the price!"

"No way!"

"Way! And I might have bought everything they had in the store down the street."

"And this is why you will always be the Master!" Christopher laughed.

"For real! I bought everything they had. Luke is going to keel over when he finds out!"

"And I'm sure that you'll be stopping at every location on your way back to the Hollow to do it again."

"You know me well Young Padawan."

"I can't believe no one ever told me this! All these years, I've been missing out!"

"Right?! I mean, I have no idea how many years they've been doing this for, but I am about to be their best customer!"

"And I am right there behind you! Gigi is gonna flip!"

* * *

Back in her apartment, Rory was laying in bed, staring at her phone screen, with her finger hovering over the send button.

_Logan,_

_I am so sorry for being an emotional nightmare tonight._

_I have no reason to be upset with you._

Rory read the message for the hundredth time, racking her brain trying to think of the best way to apologize for the way she acted, and trying to think of what Logan's reaction might be. She had been staring at her phone for at least 20 minutes before she finally got up enough nerve to send the message. Rory stared at her phone for a couple more minutes before finally setting it down, and snuggling down under her blankets to go to sleep, when her phone suddenly beeped, lighting up with a new message.

_Don't worry about it Ace._

_Get some rest._

_We will talk later._

Rory smiled to herself as a second message came in.

_Will you let your mom know that I got home ok?_

Rory typed out a response then hit send again.

_Will do._

_Thank you again._

_For everything._

Rory only had to wait less than a minute before a response came thru.

_No thanks necessary._

_Sleep well._

_I will check on you tomorrow._

Reading Logan's words made Rory feel a lot better. She set her phone on the table next to her bed, and let sleep take over.


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

* * *

The next morning Lorelai woke up to the delicious smell of food wafting its way thru the apartment. Having no idea where it was even coming from, she slowly slid out of bed, careful to not wake her daughter, and quietly made her way out of the bedroom.

"Well Good Morning Sleepy Head!" Christopher greeted her enthusiastically.

"What am I smelling? I know for a fact that you can't cook at all, so where in the world is that delicious smell coming from?"

"It was just delivered from a restaurant in town. I know that Rory is our daughter, and therefore doesn't keep any kind of real food in her house. So I called this restaurant in the city that I used to go to that has amazing breakfast, and I had them deliver."

"Is there coffee?"

"Do I look crazy to you?"

"I'll go get Rory."

"I'll get everything set up for us." Christopher told her as Lorelai turned back toward Rory's bedroom to go wake their daughter up.

"Hey Rory?" Lorelai started as she walked back into the room, and gently shook Rory. "Honey, your dad ordered breakfast. You should come eat something."

"What time is it?" Rory asked as she opened her eyes.

"Uh . . . Wow, it looks like it's 10:00."

"Ok. You said Dad cooked breakfast? I didn't knew he knew how to cook?"

"He doesn't. He ordered from somewhere in the city, and had them deliver. He said it was a restaurant that he used to go to that has amazing breakfast."

"Well it definitely smells good."

"Do you want to go eat? How are you feeling?"

"I have a headache, and my arm hurts."

"Why don't you go out to your Dad and get situated, and I'll get your medication."

"I can do that." Rory agreed as Lorelai pulled the blankets to the side, and helped Rory out of bed. "Is there coffee?"

"I asked that too."

"And?"

"He asked if he looked crazy."

"That's really not helpful." Rory said scrunching her face up quizzically.

"I'm sure your dad got coffee. I don't think he's brave enough to withhold it."

"Sweet! I just need to use the bathroom first."

"Do you need any help?"

"I think I can handle it. I'll yell if I can't."

"Ok. I'll see you out there." Lorelai told her, then grabbed her phone off the bedside table and headed to the kitchen to get Rory's medicine ready.

"Something smells completely amazing!" Rory said when she finally joined her parents in the living room.

"Hey kiddo! I got Belgian waffles with strawberries and whipped creme, a ham and vegetable omelet, steak cheese and jalapeno omelet, Mexican style omelet, cheesecake stuffed french toast, hash browns, and some regular toast with butter." Christopher explained, pointing at all the food he had just laid out on the coffee table.

"Oh holy crap! Dad, this all looks and smells so good!"

"Do you guys want to use plates, or just eat out of the containers?"

"I'm good with containers."

"Lor?"

"Containers is fine by me. Here is your medicine Rory."

"Thank you." Rory smiled taking her medication, and a bottle of water from her mom.

"Containers it is! Lor, what time is Luke coming? Do we need to save him some?"

"Mom, we should totally save him some. Or at least, the cheesecake stuffed french toast. Maybe then we can get him to make us some more."

"Rory, I'll give you the number to the restaurant I ordered from. You can have them deliver, and charge it to my card whenever you want." Christopher told her.

"Dad, you don't have to do that. I can afford to buy myself breakfast."

"You might pass out if you see the prices at this place. I already set up an account for you. You can call them up any time, and get whatever you want. They have all of your information. Just tell them your name, and where you want your food delivered."

"Are you for real?"

"As a heart attack!"

"Thank you Daddy! That means a lot to me."

"You are very welcome kiddo. You are all grown up now, and I live so far away that I don't get to see you, or do things for you very much. This is just my way of doing a little something for my little girl, and making sure that you are eating. I've heard that you've been so busy with work that you've been skipping meals and living off pop tarts and Chinese take out."

"And who told you that?" Rory asked.

"Your garbage can when I took it out last night." Chris laughed.

"I try to remember to eat. I just get so busy." Rory told him.

"Hey, no judgment here. I'm guilty of doing the same thing a lot of the time. But you need to take care of yourself. So please. Order as much as you want. I had them bring me a stack of business cards. I put one on your fridge with a menu, and dropped several in your purse."

"Thanks Dad!"

"You're welcome! Now, who wants what omelet?"

"Rory, do you want the Mexican one? You're the one with the pain killer hangover." Lorelai asked.

"Actually, I'll take the steak and cheese omelet."

"Mexican for me then!" Lorelai said excitedly as Christopher handed out the food, and they settled in to eat breakfast.

"So Mom, you didn't answer. What time is Luke coming?"

"He's on his way now. His text said he will be here around noon. He's stopping by the grocery store when he gets closer. He said he would call to get a list of what we want, unless we text it to him before then."

"You know, I really do like this whole having two Dads thing!" Rory told them. "I feel like the luckiest kid in the world!"

"Luke is a good guy." Christopher told them. "I'm glad he takes good care of you guys. I know I never liked him in the past, but it makes me happy that you both are so happy. It's great that you have someone there for you when I can't be. I'll have to thank Luke when I see him."

"Chris, that is so big of you." Lorelai said with a genuine smile.

"Hey, I'm a big enough man to admit that I was pretty jealous of him in the past. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. Especially when it comes to the two of you. But I would never deny either of you the happiness that you both deserve. Luke has been a big part of your lives since Rory was a baby. I'm really glad that you two have him. I'm glad that he was able to be a good father to you when I wasn't able to. You both deserved better than me."

"Chris, don't beat yourself up."

"Dad, you and mom were so young when I was born. You were still babies, with your own baby. I can't blame either of you for the decisions that you made. You both loved me, and you were there when it mattered most. I think I turned out pretty ok." Rory told him.

"You turned out better than just ok Rory. You are an amazing woman! And I am so proud of you! I know that there is nothing that you've ever needed that your mom hasn't taken care of for you. But is there anything that I can do for you while I'm out here? I can stay as long as you want me to. I know Luke is on his way up, I've already reserved myself a room over at the Four Seasons. I don't want to be in anyone's way."

"Dad, I'm fine."

"I know you are. But I still want to help if I can. How's your car? Are you having any problems with it?"

"I actually don't drive it very much. I mostly take the subway everywhere. It's too crowded to drive in the city."

"Well, when is the last time that you drove it? That car is what, 12 years old now?"

"13." Lorelai told him.

"And yours is over 20." Rory interjected.

"Ok, so you both need new cars then."

"I don't want a new car." Lorelai said shaking her head. "I like my car just the way it is. It just got a brand new engine and new tires. My car is perfectly fine!"

"Mom is crazy! She refuses to get a new car. When the jeep breaks down, she pays ridiculous amounts for it to get all new parts instead of .just buying a new one. There was the one day that Gypsy said that the Jeep was dead. Like door nails dead. Mom went car shopping with Luke, and hated literally everything. She ended up buying the exact same Jeep, just several years newer, and then turned around a paid Gypsy to swap the engines. Mom didn't want the newer Jeep, or any other car. She insists on keeping her 20 year old falling apart Jeep."

"Hey, that Jeep has memories!" Lorelai said defending herself.

"Did you drive the Jeep up here?" Christopher asked.

"Nope! I was at work, so I borrowed the suv from the Dragonfly. I figured while I'm in the city, I'll probably do some shopping for the Inn, so having the suv makes the trip a tax right off, and it makes transporting things a lot easier."

"What if someone needs a ride to the airport or something?"

"Then they can call a cab, or an Uber. The suv doesn't get used very much. I'm the one who drives it the most unless there is a catering order that needs to be delivered."

"So you basically have two cars."

"I guess you could say that." Lorelai agreed.

"So Rory, what do you think about maybe getting a new car?" Christopher asked. "Your birthday is coming up, and I need to get you something."

"Dad, I rarely even drive. I don't need a new car."

"You might not need it now. But why don't we go look this weekend while I'm here. Let's see if we can find you something that you like. It doesn't even have to be fancy."

"I'm not allowed to even drive right now. Logan said that New York state law forbids me from driving for 72 hours while the morphine works its way out of my body. It hasn't even been 24 hours yet."

"You don't have to drive anything. I can test drive it for you. Just come with me. Please? Let me do this for you."

"Dad, I don't know. I really don't need a new car. Even when I go down to see Mom, I take the train to Hartford. The only time I drive is when I go see Paris."

"Rory, your car is getting up there in age. I don't want it breaking down on you at the worst possible time, and you having an anxiety attack because you don't know what to do. Let me take care of this for you. For your birthday."

"Mom? What do you think?" Rory asked.

"I guess, go for it if you want. Just because I refuse to get a new car, doesn't mean that you shouldn't. You work really hard honey. You deserve something nice."

"Thank you Lor!"

"Ok. We can go look this weekend." Rory agreed. "Can I ask you a question though? On a totally separate topic?"

"You can ask me anything."

"Where's Gigi?"

"She's with my mom. I was thinking of maybe having her get on the train after school today so we can spend some time together in the city."

"I would love to see her if she'll come. I haven't seen Gigi in forever!"

"I'll ask mom to bring her up then. Do you mind maybe having lunch with Francine?"

"No, I don't mind at all."

"Logan can come too if you'd like him to. I know you guys have a lot to work out, but your mom says she has high hopes for you two."

"I actually haven't heard from him today. I texted him last night to apologize for being such a nightmare to him. Mom, he asked me to tell you that he got home ok. Sorry I didn't tell you until now. I fell asleep right after."

"Don't worry about it. I figured you had talked to him." Lorelai told her.

"He said he would check on me today, but I haven't heard from him yet. Have you?"

"Not yet. Do you want me to call him?"

"No, it's fine. I'm sure everything is fine. He's probably sleeping or something."

"He could be at work." Chis added. "That is a really good hospital, and they tend to stay busy."

"That's true." Rory agreed.

"Honey, I'm sure we'll hear from him. But I'll make you a deal. If we don't hear from him by the time Luke serves dinner, I'll go hunt him down."

"I guess that works."

"I need to run over to your office today to take in your paperwork, and get your laptop. Do you want me to stop by the hospital to see if he's there?"

"No, I don't want to act all desperate. I'm sure he'll call. Do you mind if I go with you to my office? I know I'm supposed to rest, but there are some things that I want to grab, and I would like to talk to my boss myself."

"Chris why don't you come too, just in case." Lorelai suggested. "That way I have help if I need to drag her out. And I'm sure we could use the extra arms."

"Sure! I'm happy to help with whatever." Chris agreed. "Hey Lor, can I ask you a favor?"

"What's that?"

"What if we had a family lunch or dinner with my mom and Gigi. All of us. You, me, Rory, Luke, Logan if Rory wants him there. All of us. We can even invite Emily and Richard to come up if you'd like."

"I don't know Chris. We haven't told my parents about what happened yesterday, and we weren't exactly planning to do it any time soon. Rory doesn't need that kind of drama while she's in pain."

"What about without your parents? Would you mind having dinner with Gigi and my Mom? You and Luke? She's changed Lor. I promise you, she's a completely different person now that my dad is gone."

"Can I think about it? I need to run it by Luke."

"Sure. It doesn't even have to be this weekend. I was just thinking that if Mom is bringing Gigi to the city to hang out and see Rory, maybe it would be nice if we all got together."

"I totally get it. I'll talk to Luke. Can I let you know tomorrow?"

"Of course!"

"Would you guys excuse me? I think I'm going to go get cleaned up. Thank you for breakfast Dad. It was amazing, and I am beyond stuffed!"

"Rory, do you want me to wrap your arm up so you can shower?" Lorelai asked.

"Would you?"

"Of course! Come with me." Lorelai said leading Rory into the kitchen. "I picked up supplies from Dollar General last night.

"Did your mom tell you that she bought all the girl scout cookies that were in the store?" Chris asked as he got up, and started to clean up their breakfast.

"You did?" Rory asked. "Somehow I'm not surprised, but Luke is gonna flip!"

"Oh I know! I'm fully prepared for that!"

Rory's phone began to ring as Lorelai was wrapping her arm in plastic wrap, and Rory reached into her pocket to retrieve it, seeing that Logan was calling on Facetime.

"Hey! How are you?" Rory asked after pressing the connect button and seeing Logan's face appear on the screen.

"Good Morning Ace! How did you sleep?"

"Pretty good actually. I passed out right after you texted me. What about you?"

"I didn't get much. I was called into work at 6am."

"Ouch!"

"Eh, I'm used to it. I'm sorry I haven't checked on you sooner. This is the first chance I've had to sit down."

"It's like 11!"

"I know. I'm trying to figure out what I want to eat."

"My dad got us breakfast this morning. It was amazing!"

"Luke is there already?"

"Not yet, but Mom said he should be here in the next hour."

"Christopher is here." Lorelai said moving her head next to Rory so she could see the phone. "Hey Logan!"

"Good morning!" Logan smiled. "So Christopher is there now too?"

"Yeah." Rory laughed. "Mom texted him, telling him that I got hurt, and he jumped in the car. He surprised us by showing up late last night."

"Wow! Someone gets hurt, and the entire family appears!"

"That's how this family works." Lorelai told him. "How are you doing today? You said you got called in this morning?"

"Yeah. They woke me up pretty early."

"Is that Logan?" Christopher asked walking into the kitchen with the food.

"Yeah, he's at work." Lorelai told him.

"Hey Logan!" Christopher waved in front of the phone. "Have you eaten or are you hungry? I had Mirabellos deliver, and there is TONS of food left! I can bring you some if you'd like."

"Mirabellos delivers?"

"Well, no. But they do for me. I even set up an account for Rory so she can order whenever she wants, and they'll charge everything to me."

"Nice! Maybe she'll let me abuse that privilege sometime. I haven't eaten there in years. Their food is amazing!"

"Do you want me to bring you some? We've got Belgian waffles. 3 kinds of omelets, toast, hash browns, and cheesecake stuffed French toast." Christopher said as he moved to stand behind Rory so he could see Logan, and join the conversation.

"Thanks, but you don't have to do that. I need to get out of here for a while, so I'll just go grab something."

"Logan, you can come over if you want. There is literally a ton of food, and it'll just get thrown out if someone doesn't eat it." Rory told him.

"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude on your family time. I know you don't get to see much of them."

"You need to eat Logan."

"I'll pop this stuff in the oven to keep it warm until you get here." Christopher told him, then both him and Lorelai moved away from Rory, to put the food in the oven.

"Ok. I'll be there in like 20 minutes. I need to check on my patient anyway."

"Your patient is fine." Rory told him. "Mom just wrapped my arm up so I can take a shower." Rory said moving the phone so Logan could see her arm.

"So you're feeling ok then?"

"Yeah. I'm in a little pain, but it's nothing I can't deal with."

"Good. I'm glad you're doing well."

"I slept, I ate a ton of food, took my medicine, and I've got my parents here, and Luke on the way. And dad mentioned asking his mom to bring Gigi up after school so she can hang out."

"Wow, it's like a family reunion!" Logan laughed.

"Something like that!"

"Well you go shower, and I'll let the desk know that I'm heading out for a bit now that things have slowed down. I'll see you soon, ok?"

"Ok. Drive safe."

"I will. Bye Ace." Logan smiled, then disconnected the call.

"Go shower. We've got this covered." Lorelai said pushing Rory out of the kitchen.

* * *

"Doctor Huntsberger!" Christopher said opening Rory's apartment door about 25 minutes later. "Congratulations! I hear you are doing amazing things!" he said stepping aside to let Logan in.

"Thank you!"

"So you've really turned your back on the family biz?"

"Not to the liking of the rest of the family." Logan laughed. "My sister is the only one who is actually legitimately proud of me. Everyone else just pretends for an audience. There is a bit of a grudge there."

"Society sucks sometimes!"

"That's for sure! Hey Lorelai."

"Hey Stranger! Come on in. Rory is still in the shower, but let's get you some food."

"Chris, can I ask how in the world you got Mirabello's to Deliver?"

"It's a secret." Christopher winked at him

"So a wad of green then."

"You could say that." Christopher said laughing as he led Logan to the dining room table, and sat him down to eat. "We ate on the floor in the living room, but you deserve a comfortable chair."

"Here you go." Lorelai said, setting several boxes down on the table in front of the men with a couple bottles of water.

"Wow! You went all out!"

"Is there any other way to feed a Gilmore Girl?" Christopher asked.

"Definitely not. This all looks delicious!"

"Well dig in. It tastes even better than it looks." Lorelai said sitting down across from Christopher, and pulling her phone out to check her messages.

"So Logan, how do you like being a doctor?" Christopher asked as Logan began to eat.

"I love it! Every day is a new challenge. One minute you have a heart attack coming thru the door, and the next minute it could be a new baby, or a broken bone. You never know what is going to happen when the door slides open."

"What is the craziest thing that you've seen so far?"

"Nothing too bad yet today. But it's still early."

"Really? No chain saws stuck in someone's head?"

"Not yet. I've seen a few fingers cut off though in the last few years though."

"How do you keep your appetite?"

"Not much grosses me out anymore. After that fall I had in Costa Rica while I was back at Yale, I kind of developed an iron stomach.

"Well that's good. So Rory's gory hand didn't phase you?"

"That actually wasn't at all as bad as I was expecting. The paramedics cauterized the vein that was hit by the scissors, so all I had to do was stitch and cast."

"How do you not get sick working in the ER?" Lorelai asked.

"I take A LOT of vitamin C. I actually have quite the vitamin cabinet at home. All those old wives tales and home remedies that people swear by, I do ALL of them!"

"You're serious?" Chris asked.

"My fridge is stocked with a bunch of different juices and a ton of water. I take literally every vitamin and mineral to boost my immune system. I drink Emergen-C every morning, and eat elderberry stuff all the time. I figure combining all that stuff is either going to make me a really sick, or some kind of super human. I also shower before leaving the hospital. I keep several sets of clothes in my locker, and the laundry service takes care of all my scrubs. I try to not transport any germs on me."

"You've been at work since like 6am, and you just took a break to come over here to eat, and you showered before leaving the hospital?" Lorelai asked.

"Yep!"

"How many showers do you take a day?!"

"Sometimes 5 or 6."

"Wow!" Chris said surprised. "So you're basically the cleanest guy in town"

"Pretty much!" Logan laughed.

"Hey Logan!" Rory said walking into the room, and taking a seat at the table next to Logan.

"Hey Ace you look like you're feeling better."

"I finally got all that blood off me."

"Hey Christopher, will you come help me get something from my car?" Lorelai asked getting up from the table.

"Sure Lor, lead the way." Chris said as he got up to follow her as she grabbed her keys off the counter, and headed out the door. "So what do you need help with? What are we getting?"

"Nothing. We're taking a walk. Giving them some privacy."

"Ok. Well why don't you show me this Dollar General place." Christopher told her.

* * *

Back at Rory's apartment

"So how are you really doing Ace?" Logan asked after the door closed.

"I'm fine. It hurts a little bit, but I'm trying to ignore it."

"How bad is the pain? On a scale of 1-10?"

"Like a 5."

"Did you take the medication I gave you?"

"Yeah. I took some last night, then when I woke up this morning."

"Did you take anything over night? What time did you wake up?"

"I slept straight thru til 10."

"The trick injuries like that is that you have to stay ahead of the pain, which means that you need to take the medication every 4-6 hours, around the clock, whether you think you need it or not. If you miss a dose and the pain sets in, it is hard to get back ahead."

"So what do I do? Just suffer?"

"So you took the meds this morning when you woke up?"

"Yeah, over an hour ago."

"Do you have any motrin?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Go take 4. It'll take about 15-20 minutes to kick in, but it'll be enough of a push to get you back ahead of the pain."

"Really?"

"Really. It's a little trick I learned back at Yale, then confirmed in medical school. No doctor will ever tell you to do it, because it's not good for your body to have that much stuff in your system at a time, but it won't hurt you to do it a few times. As long as you don't make it an every day thing, you'll be fine."

"Wow! I might have to keep you around. Having a doctor on hand could be pretty useful."

"You know I can't just randomly write you any prescription you want."

"And I would never ask you to. You probably can't be my doctor if we're in a relationship either."

"Nope. But that doesn't mean that I can't tell your doctor what to do."

"Good to know." Rory said getting up and heading into the kitchen to get herself some motrin and a drink while Logan finished eating. "When do you need to go back?"

"In a bit. They'll page me if they need me right away." Logan said as Rory sat back down next to him, swallowing her medication. "Let me see your arm."

"What's to see? You put a cast on it that makes it so I can't even move my fingers."

"That was done on purpose. I wanted to stabilize everything to keep you from doing too much and causing your stitches to pop. I know you, and I know if you can move your fingers, you'll go back to typing away on your laptop, and end up back in the ER bleeding all over the place because your stitches popped and your cut opened back up. Do you really want to go through all of that again?"

"No." Rory agreed.

"That's why I closed everything up, and made your hand immobile. It forces you to heal properly."

"You're pretty smart."

"And you're beautiful." Logan said letting go of Rory's arm, and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Logan . . ." Rory said softly, meeting his eyes for a moment before shyly looking away.

"What are your plans for this weekend?"

"I don't really know. My Dad wants to take me car shopping while he's here. He's insisting on buying me a car for my birthday."

"Your birthday isn't for a couple more weeks. Do you need a new car?"

"No, but my car is 13 years old, and my parents don't want something to happen, and for me to be left stranded."

"I can agree with that."

"I agreed to go look with Dad while he's here. And he's calling Francine to have her bring Gigi up after school today, and he wants to get us all together to have dinner. I haven't seen Francine in years, and it's been months since I've seen my sister. He said you can come if you want."

"I'll be there if you want me to, as long as I'm not stuck at work. I haven't seen your sister since she was little."

"Have you ever met my grandmother?"

"If I have, it was when I was a little kid, and I don't remember."

"The last time I saw her was when Strobe died. Before that, was high school, and they treated me like crap."

"So it was basically like spending time with my family."

"Pretty much! Dad says she's changed, but I'm not sure how much. He invited Mom and Luke to dinner too. He even offered to call Emily and Richard."

"Oh geez, what did your mom have to say about that?

"She was polite about it, but I could tell 'Hell no' was on the tip of her tongue."

"I can't even blame her for that one. I only see my family a couple times a year because they are too much to deal with, and I get more than enough drama at work."

"What about Honor?"

"I see her all the time. She lives not too far from here. We do lunch or dinner once a week. Usually on Wednesdays."

"I'm glad you at least have a good relationship with your sister."

"Honor is great. She will be thrilled to know that you are in the city too. She'll probably want to get together."

"I would love that. Give her my number."

"I will. How long is your Dad staying?"

"I don't know. Maybe just the weekend. Gigi is still in school."

"So when can I take you out? Would Monday work?"

"Logan, we still need to talk."

"I know. That's why I want to take you out. Get you away from everyone, so it's just us."

"It's just us right now."

"Yes, but I have to get back to work soon. This isn't something that can be discussed in under 5 minutes."

"I know. But it's a start."

"Rory, I don't want to start diving into everything until we have a large block of time with nothing else going on."

"So where does that leave us then?"

"I honestly don't know. I know where I want us to be. But it's going to take a while to get there. We can't just jump and suddenly have everything fixed for us."

"Says the man who told me 'if you jump with me right now, it's one more moment that you haven't lived.'"

"I had some pretty good lines, didn't I?!" Logan chuckled.

"You always have."

"Look Rory . . . You know that I care about you." Logan said reaching for her hand as his pager went off. "Damn it!"

"You have to go?"

"Yeah . . . This is exactly why we can't do this right now. I'm working all weekend, and on call when I'm not scheduled to be there. But can we plan for Monday?"

"Sure. It's not like I have anything planned for the next couple of weeks."

"Ok. Will you make sure to call the orthopedic surgeon today, that I gave you the info for in your release paperwork?"

"Yeah. I'll have mom call when she gets back with Dad. I know she'll want to go with me."

"Ok." Logan said standing up from the table, and heading toward the door.

"Will you call me when you get off work tonight?" Rory asked as she followed him.

"It might be really late."

"You know that doesn't bother me."

"I'll call. I promise."

"So we're at least friends now, right?"

"Rory, I would never not be your friend. Come here." Logan said pulling her into his arms. "I'll call you when I'm done tonight. But you can text me whenever, and I'll answer whenever I can."

"Ok." Rory sighed into Logan's chest.

"I've really gotta go."

"Drive safe ok?" Rory told him as she pulled away and took a small step back so she could look Logan in the eyes.

"I always do."

"Do you want me to bring you dinner or something later? Luke is cooking."

"If you want to. But I need you to promise me that you will get some rest ok? You aren't going to heal if you don't rest."

"I will. I'm going to my office with my parents so I can talk to my boss, and pick up a few things, but I promise to not over do it, and to rest when we get home."

"That's my girl." Logan said placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you later."

"Bye." Rory smiled as she watched Logan leave, then headed back to the dining room to clear the table


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I am currently re-reading everything that I have thus far, making edits and changes, and publishing each chapter as I go. I have quite a bit written so far, but I am also dealing with some writers block, so hopefully by re-reading and editing everything, I'll figure out where to go with this and get it finished. If anyone has any ideas of something they would like to see happen, please feel free to let me know.

* * *

"Can I help you?" the lady at the desk asked without looking up from her computer when Rory stepped up to the admitting desk at the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital Emergency Room just after 7pm.

"Would you mind paging Doctor Huntsberger for me?"

"He's with patients."

"Yes I understand. I have his dinner. Would you please page him for me?"

"You can leave it here. I'll have someone get it to him when they have a minute."

"Look, I'm sorry to bother you, but could you please just page him for me?" Rory asked again.

"Ma'am, I already told you that Doctor Huntsberger is busy with patients." the lady snapped, finally looking up at Rory.

"Fine. I'll just call him myself." Rory said pulling her cell phone from her pocket and stepping a few feet away from the desk.

"Hey Ace, is everything ok?" Logan asked , answering right away.

"Hey, I'm standing at the admitting desk with some dinner for you, but somebody is being awfully rude and snapping at me, refusing to page you." Rory said glaring back at the lady at the desk who just rolled her eyes.

"I'll be right there." Logan said motioning for a nurse. A moment later the admitting doors opened and Logan walked out with a nurse behind him. "Grace, please take over the desk. Brenda, meet me in my office." Logan said strongly, then walked over to Rory. "I'm so sorry about that. It'll never happen again."

"It's fine. She obviously doesn't know who she's dealing with. I could have gone full on Emily Gilmore on her.

"Yeah, well, I'm about to." Logan said rolling his eyes.

"Now that is something that I would LOVE to watch!"

"That's not a side of me that I like you seeing."

"Logan, I've seen it before."

"I know you have. But I don't like being that person around you."

"Luke made burgers and fries." Rory said changing the subject, and holding a bag of food out for Logan to take.

"Score!"

"And he threw in a salad for you, and a slice of cherry pie."

"Please tell him thank you for me."

"He's right outside in the car if you want to tell him yourself. Mom and Luke drove me over."

"Let's go." Logan told agreed as Rory turned and headed toward the sliding glass doors. "Hey Luke, Lorelai!" Logan said as the passenger side window of the Dragonfly suv lowered to reveal Rory's parents. "Thank you guys so much for the food. I can't wait to dig into it!"

"It's the lease we could do." Lorelai smiled.

"Congratulations Logan. Medical school is a HUGE deal!" Luke told him.

"Thank you so much!"

"Mom has been bragging about you since Luke got here." Rory explained.

"And congratulations on surviving Paris every day." Luke added. "I don't know how you do it!"

"Some days I wonder." Logan laughed.

"Mom made that appointment you requested." Rory told him.

"I set it for Monday afternoon at 3. Did you want to go?" Lorelai asked.

"Only if it's ok with you guys."

"You can probably explain things better than I can." Rory told him.

"I second that." Lorelai agreed.

"I'll be there. I need to get back inside though. I have a little situation to deal with. Thank you guys for dinner." Logan said opening the car door for Rory to climb in.

"You are very welcome." Luke told him. "Thank you for taking such good care of Rory. We really appreciate everything you've done for her."

"No thanks needed." Logan smiled as he closed the door. "Please make sure she rests fore the remainder of the night."

"Scouts honor." Luke agreed.

"See you later Logan." Lorelai smiled as Luke put the car in drive and started to pull away.

* * *

Once back inside the hospital, Logan head for his office.

"Brenda, would you like to explain what happened out there?" Logan asked, walking in the door.

"Some delivery driver walked in the door and wanted me to interrupt you while you were with patients."

"Brenda, did you even ask who that was?"

"I have no interest where you get your food from. It's none of my business."

"Well, for the record Brenda, not only was that NOT a deliver driver, that was my family! And I don't care if it had been a deliver driver. Your careless snippy attitude isn't acceptable in this hospital. You and I have talked about this before. This time I will be issuing you an official write up. One more time, and you will no longer be employed here. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Doctor Huntsberger."

"And in the future, if my family ever walks through that door while you are here, you will be apologizing to them for your negative attitude. Got it?"

"Yes Doctor Huntsberger."

"I'm sending you home for the remainder of the day. Please reevaluate your actions, and next time you come in, I hope you will be implementing some changes. Have a good night." Logan said watching as Brenda stood up, and left his office. Logan sighed, as he sat down at his desk, but smiled as he opened the bag of food, and began to pull his dinner out.

"Doctor Huntsberger, do you have a minute?" another doctor asked walking into the office a moment later.

"I'm just eating the dinner my family dropped off. What can I do for you Doctor Greenley?"

"Brenda said you sent her home for the night."

"Brenda will be getting an official write up on her next shift due to her rude attitude and refusal to page me when asked. I don't have the full details of what happened yet, but I'll be checking the cameras, and talking to the woman she snapped at and refused to help. She just better hope that I don't find out about her being rude to anyone else today. I've had to talk to her about her attitude once before, and I let her know that she needs to take the rest of the night to reevaluate things, and that if it ever happens again, she will no longer be employed here."

"Well it sounds like you handled it well. What are you eating? It looks phenomenal!"

"Salad, burger, fries, and cherry pie. My girl's dad owns a diner in Stars Hollow, and is up here visiting, so he made dinner, and dropped some off for me.

"Your girl, huh? This is new?"

"I guess you could say that . . . We dated for 3 years at Yale, and just ran into each other again."

"Do I get to meet her?"

"Probably eventually."

"Well let me know. How much longer are you here tonight?"

"With the exception of when I ran out for lunch, I've been here for 13 hours."

"You should head home. I know you were here last night too."

"It's fine, I can stay if you need me."

"Don't you have a dog or something that needs attention?"

"Yeah." Logan chuckled. "I have a walking service that comes in the afternoons when I'm here. I take him out in the morning and at night, and my housekeeper usually lets him out too."

"Well you should go home and give your dog some attention. Doctor Randall is here, and Doctor Levi will be here in the next hour. We've got everything covered. You go get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you Doctor Greenley." Logan said as his colleague left the office, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Back at her apartment, Rory's phone buzzed with a message.

_Doctor Greenley told me to go home._

_I've only been here 13 hours._

"Logan is getting off work at a decent hour." Rory said as she typed out a response.

_Only 13 hours_

_Such a short day_

"You can invite him to movie night, you know." Luke said.

"I know. But he's had a long day. He's probably exhausted. He didn't get much sleep last night."

_Do you need anything?_

_I'm gonna hit the gym for a while._

"Logan wants to know if we need anything. He's going to the gym."

"I can't think of anything. Tell him to send you a shirtless picture." Lorelai told her.

"Mom, I'm NOT asking Logan for a shirtless picture for my mother!"

"Hey, I never said it was for me."

"Well I've seen him with his shirt off before, and I doubt that Luke wants it."

"In the last 8 years?" Lorelai asked.

"Well no, but I'm sure I will soon enough. Besides, I can feel what is under there every time he hugs me."

"That boy has definitely bulked up since college." Luke agreed.

"Oh, tell him to bring Rocky over! I wanna hang out!"

_Mom says to bring Rocky over._

_She wants to hang out._

Rory texted back.

_Who's Rocky?_

She asked in a second text.

"Mom, I don't even know who or what Rocky is. How do you know more about Logan than I do?"

"Rocky is his dog." Lorelai told her as Rory's phone buzzed again with a picture.

_You have a dog?_

"How did you know that Logan has a dog?"

_For two years now_

"He told me last night." Lorelai told her.

"Why do you want to hang out with Logan's dog?"

"Because I like dogs, and my dog is back home with Babbette. Tell him to bring me Rocky."

_I think Mom wants to corrupt your dog and feed him popcorn, ice cream, and candy._

Rory typed out and sent to Logan. She cracked up when her phone buzzed again.

_Tell Lorelai my dog isn't on the same diet as Paul Anka_

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"He said to tell you that his dog isn't on the same diet as Paul Anka."

"Tell Logan he's a good dog parent." Luke instructed Rory.

_Luke says that you're a much better dog parent than Mom is_

"Tell him to bring me Rocky. I'll watch him while Logan works. It'll give me something to do." Lorelai told her.

_Oh I'm sure she's THRILLED to hear that_

"Mom, he said he was going to head to the gym."

"I don't care, he can still bring me the dog. Rocky needs some love too.

_I think that my Mom wants to steal your dog_

_She says to bring Rocky to her so she can hang out while you're at work_

"_Rocky needs some love too"_

"Mom, you have plenty to do taking care of me. And there is all kinds of stuff that we can do together. I have the next two weeks off."

_You and I haven't even talked and yet this somehow feels like a subtle dig for grandkids lol_

_Tell Lorelai that Rocky has a dog walker that comes every day._

"I know. But I miss my puppy. Paul Anka is my furry baby!"

_My mom is crazy!_

_She says she misses Paul Anka and wants to play with Rocky_

"Logan says that Rocky has a dog walker that comes every day." Rory said as she saw Lorelai reach for her phone. "Who are you calling?"

"We're having movie night. Go get Rocky, and bring him over." Lorelai said as soon as Logan answered the phone.

"Mom!" Rory screeched.

"She sounds like a desperate grandmother or something, trying to get her fix." Luke laughed.

"Logan pretty much said the same thing." Rory said handing her phone to Luke so he could see Logan's message, then showed him the picture Logan had sent her of Rocky.

"Lorelai, a German Shepard is not a purse dog that you can dress up and carry around like a baby. It's a large dog that can eat you, bones and all." Luke told her. They all heard Logan laughing as Lorelai pulled the phone away from her ear, and hit the speaker button.

"Do you guys just want to come over to my place to meet Rocky?" Logan asked.

"Can we?" Lorelai asked.

"Bring movie night over. I'll have Rocky ready for you in an hour." Logan told her.

"How did you know it's movie night?" Rory asked.

"Because it's Friday . . . And you guys were talking about it yesterday. I'm going to go shower, and I'll see you guys in an hour."

"Bye Logan! Text me the address!" Lorelai said happily hanging up her phone.

"Luke, what is my mother up to?" Rory asked suspiciously.

"I was just wondering that myself."

"Come on Rory, let's go get you ready." Lorelai said getting up from the couch and heading to Rory's bedroom.

"Ok, spill it Mom!" Rory said following her, while Luke stayed in the living room shaking his head at his wife's antics.

"There is nothing to spill Rory."

"Please, we all know that you have ulterior motives. So tell me what they are. I'm pretty sure I already know, but you are acting really strange!"

"Let's pack you a bag."

"For what?"

"Rory . . . Do you REALLY want to wait until Monday to talk to Logan?"

"No, but he's gotta work Mom. And you and Luke are here, and Dad is with Gigi and Francine at the hotel. I'm sure he's just giving me space to spend time with my family."

"Well let's just say that Mommy might have already talked to Logan, and I pretty much know where this whole thing is going."

"You seriously talked to Logan about all of this?"

"I wasn't planning to at the time. But you were asleep, and he had that stupid love sick puppy look on his face."

"Mom . . ."

"Look . . . I owe you an apology. 8 years ago I was a jerk. I knew that you loved Logan, and I know that you wanted to marry him. And after yesterday, I feel like maybe I'm the reason that you turned him down. I still think that it was good for both of you to take the time to figure out who you are, and what you wanted to do with your lives, but at the same time, I was an idiot to not realize how badly you were hurting. Logan was never my favorite person when you guys were in college, and I made that more than clear to you. I was stupid, and stuck in my own head, and all I could see was the money, and the life that I ran away from, and I didn't want that for you. I still don't. But 8 years ago, that was all I could focus on. I just saw the way that Logan was raised, and I didn't want you drug into that life. But he's changed Rory, and so have you."

"Other than Honor, Logan only sees his family twice a year."

"I know. He's really changed. I realized yesterday that Logan and I have A LOT in common! He ran away from his family, and made a life for himself away from everything that he's ever known. And he pulled a Lorelai a second time when he randomly decided to adopt a dog because he was bored and lonely. Logan is a great guy Honey. And he loves you. He told me so. He wants to be with you, and I might have already told him that as long as it's ok with you, he's my kid too."

"You seriously told him that?"

"I did. I love you kiddo! And I want you to be happy. So let's get you over there. Luke and I will hang out for a while, then Luke will get tired, and I'll have to take him home, so I'll ask Logan if he's able to bring you home later, that way you can hang out for a while longer. We're going to pack you a bag, that way you can either stay there if you want to, or you can have Logan bring you home. Or, if things don't go well, you can call me and I'll come get you."

"You really are my best friend! I love you Mommy!"

"I love you too baby!" Lorelai said hugging her daughter tight. "Go get your big purse, and pack yourself a set of clothes for tomorrow, and whatever else you can hide in there, and I'll go grab your meds, some candy to throw on top, and explain the plan to Luke.

* * *

A couple of hours later, they were all hanging out at Logan's house talking and eating junk food when Luke started to yawn.

"Luke, you look exhausted." Logan observed.''

"A little bit. I'm ok though."

"Luke, it's ok, we can take you home." Rory told him.

"Honey, we just got here. Why don't I take Luke, and you and Logan can hang out and talk. Logan, do you mind bringing Rory home later?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh, so this was your ulterior motive?" Logan asked.

"Damn! Am I really THAT transparent?"

"You were demanding I bring you my dog like he's your grandbaby that you haven't seen in 6 months or something." Logan laughed.

"Fine! I give up! Let's go Luke. Rory, call me if you need me, ok?" Lorelai said as she stood up and held her hand out for Luke.

"How many sets of clothes are in the giant purse?" Logan asked turning to Rory.

"What?" Rory asked.

"Please, don't act like you weren't a part of this elaborate plan."

"Just one, and a few other things that I thought I might need."

"I've known you people way too long!" Logan laughed.

"Bye Rocky!" Lorelai said stopping to pet the dog on her way to the door. "You come visit me any time, ok Buddy? You have your Daddy bring you to Nanna Lorelai's house, and you can play with Paul Anka, alright?"

"And she's already picked her Grandma name. Great!" Rory said rolling her eyes.

"Hey! That's what Steve and Quan call me! I'm Nanna Lorelai to all the little kids!"

"It's true." Luke told them. "She's been hanging out with Lane's kids a lot."

"Hey, those boys are a ton of fun! Come on Luke, let's get out of here." Lorelai said opening the door, and waiting for Luke to follow.

"Bye guys!" Logan said with a laugh as Rory's parents left. "Ace, I love your mom, but you really didn't need to come up with an elaborate plan just so you could come talk to me tonight."

"Oh trust me, I was just an innocent bystander. She let me in on the plan after somehow getting you to invite us over."

"Your mom has an evilly brilliant mind. I was thinking of asking if you wanted to get together when I got off work early, but I didn't want to pull you away from movie night."

"I was debating inviting you over, but I didn't want to pull you away from whatever plans you had, or make you loose sleep over me after you didn't get much sleep last night."

"Hey, I'll loose sleep over you any time." Logan said putting his arm around Rory, and pulling her in to kiss her.

"Logan, I'm sorry I said no to you 8 years ago."

"Why did you?"

"I didn't think that you would walk away the way you did. I did want to marry you, but I just wasn't ready right then. I thought that we could talk about it, and that we could figure things out. Maybe do the long distance thing for a while. Just because I wasn't ready to get married right then, didn't mean that I don't love you, or want to be with you. I just wasn't ready to be Mrs. Huntsberger at 22 years old. I was just graduating from college, and I was having a really hard time finding a job. I was terrified that by marrying you, by being a Huntsberger, it would keep me from getting the job I wanted. What non HPG newspaper is going to hire a Huntsberger to work for them? I don't want to work for your dad. I want to do my own thing, and earn my place in this world. And I just felt that by marrying you, I would be forced into your father's company, and it's just not what I want.

"Rory, I would never make you change your name, if you don't want to. If anyone knows what kind of hell this last name comes with, it's me. I've worked so hard to distance myself from the family business, but I'm constantly still fighting to keep myself free. It would be so easy to give up who I am, and the life I've made for myself, and go crawling back to my father. I could have easily gone back, so many times. But I haven't because it's not what I want. That life makes me miserable! I know that you love to write, and that you love your job. And that makes me happy. But it's not what I want for myself. It's boring, and stifling. It feels like a death sentence to me. I've lived that life since I was a little kid, and I've always hated it. It was never the life that I wanted for myself, but no one understood that, until I met you. You are the only person who ever let me even dream of what my life could be like away from my family, and the dynastic plan. You are the only person who helped me to see the bigger picture, and that I didn't have to follow my dad down the road to hell. You never asked me to do any of it. And that's why I wanted to marry you. Because you are the only person who I've ever met who actually understands what I've been through, and doesn't care about all the money. You are the only one who loves me, and supports me. You are the one who challenges me to figure out who I am, and who wants me to live a life that I am happy with, rather than the joke of a life that my father picked out for me. You are the one who I always knew would stand by me, and never tell me that I was wrong for wanting out."

"Logan, why couldn't we talk about this 8 years ago? Why did you walk away?"

"I don't know . . . I guess I was just blind sighted and stupid. I never thought that you would say no. I'm honestly so stupid that I thought you would be so excited, and jump into my arms. I somehow was so messed up that I thought we would run off to California, and that we would have this perfect little life together. I somehow thought that by moving to California, we could start over, and become those sun kissed outdoorsy people that you see on tv and in magazines. I thought we could have that perfect life, relaxing on the beach after a long day at the office. I never imagined that I wouldn't have that life with you. I only lasted out there for 6 months before I gave up and came back. I was completely miserable without you! There were so many times that I wanted to pick up the phone to call you, and tell you what an incredible idiot I was, and beg you to take me back. But every single time that I started to call you, something stopped me. I somehow kept telling myself that if you wanted me back as much as I wanted you, you would pick up the phone."

"You have no idea how many times I did the exact same thing."

"I wish you had called." Logan told her "I am so sorry for leaving you. It was one of the stupidest things that I've ever done."

"My mom was right about one thing though." Rory told him.

"What's that?"

"It forced us both to grow up, and to figure out who we are, and what we want for ourselves. If we had gotten married, I wouldn't be working at the New York Times, and you wouldn't have gone to medical school."

"That's true. I probably would have tortured myself, and stuck with the job out in California. But at least I would have had you with me. Having you would have made things a lot more bearable."

"But would we have been happy?" Rory asked.

Logan started to answer her, but then closed his mouth again, and leaned back against his couch to really think about it.

"Geez Ace . . ." Logan said after a while. "I honestly don't think that I've ever not had an answer to something.

"Trust me, I know. I've pretty much been asking myself this same question for years. Had I said yes and ran off to California with you, would I have been happy? . . . Would we be happy? . . . Part of me wants to say yes, we would have been. But honestly, what it comes down to is would have I been able to find a job that I love with the Huntsberger name not hurting me? Would I have become a house wife? Would I have become Emily Gilmore? Would I end up resenting you for it? Would you resent me for it?"

"Those are all of the things going through my head right now. Would I have been able to find a way to like my job? Would I have left after 6 months, and moved in with Honor? Would I have gone to medical school? How would I have supported us if I had quit or lost my job? If I had gone to medical school, how would I have afforded it, and supported us while I was there?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"How did you afford medical school? You said you went without Daddy's money."

"Honor paid for it. Her and Josh. I moved in with them when I left California, and Honor helped me to figure out what it was that I wanted to do with my life. When I decided that I wanted to try medical school, I was going to take out some loans to pay for it, but Honor refused to hear of it. She went to Josh, and they wrote a check to cover everything."

"Wow! Your sister is incredible!"

"I know. But she pulled an Emily Gilmore, and demanded that we get together once a week to catch up. We used to spend weekends together, but right now, it's usually Wednesdays."

"I love her!"

"Yeah, she's pretty great."

"How does she tolerate Paris?"

"Oh please don't even mention Paris to her. Those two are EVIL together! They collectively kicked my sorry ass several times. That is the most terrifying combination of stubborn rage that I have EVER seen!"

"Yikes!"

"Don't put those two together unless you want them plotting against you."

"I will definitely try to remember that." Rory told him

"I know I'm going to sound like a completely presumptuous ass by asking you this, but you are staying here tonight, right?"

"I'll stay if you want me to."

"Of course I want you to. I never want you to leave."

"Then I'm not going anywhere." Rory smiled.

"I need to go take Rocky out, and then I was thinking of going to bed. It's been a really long couple of days, and I'm exhausted."

"What time do you work tomorrow?"

"It's my turn for the evening shift. I go in at 3pm and don't get back out of there until after midnight."

"Well at least you'll be able to get some decent sleep tonight."

"Especially because you'll be here with me. I've always slept better with you next to me."

"Me too." Rory told him.

"Do you want to come with me to take Rocky out?"

"I can do that.

"Hey Rocky! Walk?" Logan asked getting up from the couch, and holding his hand out for Rory, then following Rocky to the door, and putting his leash on him. "Come on buddy."

"Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but you have a dog." Rory said as they walked out the door with Rocky.

"I know. It's weird, right?"

"A little."

"I was sitting here bored one day, and it was super quiet and lonely, and I just couldn't take it anymore. Sometimes the silence can be really overwhelming."

"So you went out and adopted a dog?"

"Pretty much! It's pretty cool though, because he goes with me when I go out to run, and I don't have to worry about anyone keeping up with me because he's really fast, and he loves it!"

"Well that's good."

"It's funny, Collin and Finn came over right after I got Rocky, and I woke up the next morning to Finn asleep on the floor, snuggled up with my dog."

"Please tell me that you have a picture of that!"

"Oh I do. And it's framed."

Nice! You'll have to show me."

"It's in my office."

"What does Collin think about it?"

"It's been two years, and he's finally starting to get used to seeing Rocky here."

"Do the guys come over a lot?"

"Not so much anymore. They're busy. I usually see them every few months, or whenever one of them gets a crazy idea to go commit some kind of debauchery."

"You're still doing that stuff?"

"We aren't so wild anymore. Collin is married now, so Stephanie would kill us all if something were to happen to him."

"What about Finn?"

"I honestly can't see Finn ever settling down. He's just that guy that never changes. He's got all the energy in the world, and is always going. I can barely keep up with him anymore."

"I've always barely kept up with him. Maybe Finn needs a leash like Rocky."

"That might be a good idea. He would probably get into less trouble that way." Logan laughed

"You know, I kind of hope that Finn never changes. He's pretty epic."

"He's definitely unforgettable, that's for sure!"

"When did Collin and Stephanie get married?"

"A couple days before I got Rocky actually."

"I can see why you were feeling lonely."

"I blame him too." Logan chuckled. "I came back from the wedding, and I was sitting here with nothing to do, literally bored out of my mind. My friends were out of town, I didn't have to work, I had no one to hang out with. It was just me, and it was deafening. I couldn't take it anymore. So now at least when I'm home, I have Rocky to hang out with. He's a pretty good side kick, aren't you Rocky?"

Rocky snorted as he sniffed around outside, walking aimlessly around the pet area of Logan's apartment complex.

"You said you have someone that comes to walk Rocky everyday while you're working?"

"Yeah. I figured it wasn't too fair of me to just leave him sitting home all day while I'm working 12-18 hours, so I found a dog walking service, and they come and take him out every afternoon when I'm not home. Rocky loves it. They go to the park and he gets to chase balls, and play with other dogs. It's been really good for him. And my housekeeper takes him out for me a lot too. She loves having him around."

"I feel like I've missed out on so much."

"Rocky is really the extent of my exciting life lately. I work, and go running with Rocky. That's pretty much it unless one of the guys is around."

"That's more than I do. I work, and work, and if I'm not working I'll go hang out with Paris' kids, but otherwise I just work."

"Well, it'll be an adjustment, figuring out our schedules for a while, but I'm not planning on going anywhere Rory. I'm not going to let you walk out of my life again."

"Well, we've got a couple of weeks before we've got to start figuring it out, right?"

"Yeah, we do have that. I'll still have to work while you're off, but we'll figure it out. Monday and Wednesday are the only days that I'm not scheduled or on call this week. I haven't had much of a life in the last few years, so I've just made myself available pretty much whenever. But I can get that adjusted. I'll let them know that I'm cutting back a little. Get the other doctors to take back some hours."

"You don't have to do that Logan. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself while you are at work."

"I know you are. But I still want to be able to spend time with you when I'm not sleeping."

"You don't have a set schedule?"

"We used to. Now it's rotating."

"So how does it work?"

"Come on Rocky, let's go inside." Logan said opening the door to his apartment building and guiding both Rory and Rocky inside. "It rotates starting after your days off. You start with the early morning shift and rotate your way thru graveyard before your next days off."

"Talk about something that isn't good for your health. You can't get any decent sleep when your sleep schedule changes constantly."

"I know. I'll see about making some changes. Like I said, I haven't had much of a life, so I've made myself available whenever, trying to keep busy."

"Is the entire hospital on a rotating schedule?"

"No. Just the ER doctors. Actually . . . Mostly just me. It gives them an extra hand on every shift. I'll talk to Doctor Greenley. He wants to meet you by the way."

"You told people about me already?"

"No. Of course not. I don't talk about my personal life at work. The most I've ever talked about my life was with you and Paris in the ER yesterday. I like to keep people out of my business."

"Then how does Doctor Greenley know about me?"

"He came into my office tonight to ask about the Brenda situation, which I actually need to talk to you about before I do her write up. I asked her what happened and she said some delivery driver came in wanting her to interrupt me with patients, which I wasn't with. She said she didn't ask who you were, and that it wasn't her business where I got my food from. She was very short with me."

"Did she at least give you the time of day because that would be a lot more than she gave to me. She refused to even look away from her computer. She just snapped that you were with patients then told me to leave the food and she would have someone get it to you when they had a minute. She didn't try to help me at all. Just snapped at me. She was very rude. I got annoyed, and didn't feel like dealing with her crap anymore, so I told her that I would just call you myself." Rory told him as they walked back into Logan's apartment, and he took the leash off Rocky, before heading to the kitchen.

"I still have to check out the cameras, but I've had to talk to her about being rude to patients before. The fact that she didn't even give you the time of day bothers me. She also didn't bother to even ask where I was or make a call to me to see if I had a minute. Whatever she was doing on that computer, had her full attention, and she couldn't be bothered to pay attention to anything else. But I'm going to find out what she was doing. When I talked to her, I asked her what happened, and told her that you weren't just some random delivery driver, you were my family. And I let her know that should she ever see my family come into the hospital again, she owed you an immediate apology. Then I asked her if she understood me, and I let her know that we had talked about her crappy attitude before, and that she would be receiving a write up this time. And should I ever have to talk to her about it again, she would no longer have a job. Then I sent her home to think about everything, and suggested that she reevaluate her attitude. I guess she ran into Doctor Greenley on her way out, and the next thing I know he comes into my office while I'm eating, to ask me about it. I told Doctor Greenley that she would be receiving a write up on her next shift for her bad attitude, and refusal to page me when asked.. He then asked what I was eating because it smelled delicious. I told him that my girl's dad owns a diner back in Stars Hollow, and that he's here visiting, so you guys brought me dinner. You brought your meds with you, right?"

"They're in my purse."

"Are you hungry? You shouldn't be taking meds on an empty stomach."

"Mom put some candy in my purse."

"You aren't eating candy to take your meds. I'll make you a sandwich."

"Logan, you don't have to do that."

"Yes I do. I'm your doctor. I'm not letting you take those meds on an empty stomach, or with candy. You're getting a sandwich. Doctors orders."

"I can see dating a doctor being a royal pain in the ass."

"Oh, I'll give you a pain in the ass!" Logan said grabbing Rory and kissing her passionately. "You know that I love you, right?" Logan asked after breaking the kiss.

"I do now." Rory said sweetly.

"I love you Rory. More than anything in this world."

"I love you too." Rory said kissing him again.

"Go get your meds. I'll make you that sandwich." Logan told her, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Ok."

Babe, I need to talk to you about something. And don't worry, it's nothing bad." Logan said as Rory dug in her purse while Logan got ready to make her sandwich.

"Alright?"

"There is something that you need to know about my job."

"Yes?"

"Being a doctor is great and everything, but it's also really hard, definitely not all unicorns and sunshine. Everyone thinks that it's this great noble profession. But they don't realize that it's also extremely mentally and emotionally draining. There are days that I'm going to come home really messed up. I have to make some really tough choices, and I loose patients sometimes. There are a lot of really rough days, and I don't always handle things the best way. There are going to be days that I just need to hit the gym and beat the crap out of the heavy bag. And then there are days that I'm going to come home and just zone out in silence and I need you to just be there with me. Most days are perfectly fine, but others are really hard, and I just really need you to be aware, and know that if I'm in a mood, it's not your fault. And even if I'm snapping about things, it's never about you. I just need to know if you can just be there on those days, because if you can't I need to know now before we go any further."

"Logan, I'm here. Going through all of that sounds horrible, and I don't think that I could do it. So you are definitely a better person than I am. But I love you, and I want to be with you. So I'll be here, ok? You just tell me what you need, and I'll be here."

"Geez, you sound exactly like ME!"

"How scary is that?" Rory laughed.

"Completely terrifying!" Logan said handing Rory a plate with a turkey sandwich on it. "When did we swap places?"

"Apparently sometime in the last 8 years."

"This is just weird."

"You're the crazy one who went to medical school.

"You could have gone."

"And you could have been the newspaper king."

"Yeah, no thank you! Hold on a second, I'm sorry, I should have cut that up for you." Logan said grabbing the plate back, and reaching for a knife. "I'm sorry, I'm not a very good care giver."

"Well then stop trying to be me! Get out of my head!"

"Oh trust me, inside your head, is definitely not the place that I want to be right now." Logan said kissing her, and handing her back the sandwich. "I would much rather be inside something else. Now eat your sandwich, and take those meds."

"Do you know how hot you are?"

"I've heard some whispering."

"Oh really? Should I be worried about some kind of competition?" Rory asked as she started to eat.

"Sure, because you know just how much I LOVE skanky girls and gossiping nurses."

"What are you talking about?! Those are your absolute FAVORITE people!"

"You really need to hurry up and finish eating, so I can go show you who my REAL favorite person is!"

"Don't you be threatening me with a good time!"

"Well come on then, hurry it up! I've missed you!"

"How much of this do I have to eat?"

"At least one more bite."

"Can Rocky have the rest?"

"I'm sure he's excepting it." Logan said as Rory took one more bite, then tossed the rest of the sandwich to Rocky. "Let's go!"

"Gosh you're demanding tonight!"

"It's been over 8 years Babe!" Logan said grabbing her arm, and pulling her toward him. "I'm done waiting."


	8. Chapter 8

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I am currently re-reading everything that I have thus far, making edits and changes, and publishing each chapter as I go. I have quite a bit written so far, but I am also dealing with some writers block, so hopefully by re-reading and editing everything, I'll figure out where to go with this and get it finished. If anyone has any ideas of something they would like to see happen, please feel free to let me know.

* * *

"Rory, your father tells me that you are dating a doctor." Francine asked as they sat having lunch with Christopher and Gigi.

"He told you that?" Rory asked.

"Have things changed?" Christopher asked.

"No, but we just got back together last night."

"So you've dated this doctor before?" Francine asked.

"We dated in college, but haven't seen each other in over 8 years. We just reconnected a couple days ago."

"Your father says he's the doctor who fixed your injury."

"Yes he was."

"Did it hurt?" Gigi asked.

"It did, but he numbed me really well before stitching me up."

"Why do you have a cast if you only got stitches?" Francine asked.

"Because Logan knows me too well." Rory sighed.

"Rory is a lot like Lorelai." Christopher answered. "Doctor Huntsberger knows that she's a hard worker and doesn't let anything hold her back. He was afraid that if he didn't put a cast on it to immobilize her hand, Rory would go back to working like crazy, and all the typing and stuff she does would cause the stitches to pop, and she would be right back in the ER."

"But if he is as hot as I've heard, you can't really blame Rory for finding a way to go back." Gigi said with a small laugh.

"You and I will talk later." Rory whispered, leaving over toward her younger sister. "He's gorgeous!"

"So Rory, what else is new with you?" Francine asked.

"Not much. I've just been working a lot. I'm a features writer for the New York Times. I mostly just work."

"But you are taking some time off because of your injury?"

"Yes, I'm having to take a couple weeks."

"Any fun plans in the works?"

"Nothing too fun yet. Dad wants me to go look at a new car with him, and mom is going to hang out with me so I have help."

"What about your young Doctor?"

"Logan works a lot. I'll see him when he's available."

"What hospital is he at?"

"Columbia Presbyterian."

"That is an excellent hospital! One of the best in the city." Francine told her.

"That's what I hear. The best and the busiest."

"What kind of car are you gonna get?" Gigi asked. "I wish I could go car shopping."

"I don't even think I need a new car, but my car is 13 years old, and Dad is concerned about it breaking down."

"Richard and Emily bought you that car?" Francine asked.

"It was my high school graduation gift. It's been a great car."

"Rory's birthday is in a couple of weeks. I need to get her something." Christopher told them.

"Can I have a car for my birthday too?" Gigi asked.

"When you turn 16 you can."

"Sweet!"

"Rory, have you thought about what kind of car you would like to get?" Francine asked.

"I haven't yet. I don't do much driving because of where I live. I take the subway to work, and the train when I go home to see Mom. I only drive if I go see my friend outside the city, and sometimes when I go see Grandma and Grandpa in Hartford. It just depends on what time I'm leaving the city. Traffic can be pretty bad leaving town."

"You should get a Mercedes." Gigi told her.

"I don't need anything fancy. I like my Prius. It's been a good little car. It's not the best size for car seats when I take Paris' kids out, so maybe I'll look at something a little bit bigger, but I definitely don't need fancy."

"Do you take the children out a lot?" Francine asked.

"I do when I have time. I'm their godmother, and godmother to my friend Lane's twins. I try to spend as much time with them as I can when I'm not too busy."

"So you like children then?"

"They're not too bad. Lane's boys are pretty rambunctious, but Paris' kids are still little. We mostly go to the park or to get food somewhere. They are really well behaved."

"Have you put any thought into having children of your own someday?"

"Not really." Rory answered. Logan and I just got back together, and I've been so busy with work, that I really haven't had any time for dating."

"How old are Paris' kids?" Christopher asked.

"They're two, turning three pretty soon. Paris I'm sure is planning a huge party for them."

"That is such a fun age." Francine told her.

"From what I hear Gigi was a nightmare." Rory laughed, trying to get the focus off of herself.

"Oh she wasn't so bad." Francine said smiling sweetly at Gigi.

"As long as you didn't dare utter the word no, she was totally cool!" Christopher told them.

"Hey! Dad tells me no all the time!" Gigi said defending herself.

"I didn't used to. It took me a while to learn how to be a good dad. You used to scream if anyone said no to you."

"Well, at least I know what I want."

"Keep that attitude Gigi. You'll need it as you get older." Rory told her as her phone rang. "I'm so sorry, I need to take this. Excuse me." Rory said as she pulled her phone from her purse and stood up to leave the table, answering her phone as she walked away. "This is Rory Gilmore."

* * *

"How was lunch with Francine?" Lorelai asked as Rory walked into her apartment later that afternoon.

"I want to say painful, but it could have been worse."

"So she hasn't changed then."

"I don't know. I want to say that it doesn't seem like it, but I really don't know her well. She kept asking questions about my plans for myself, as if I really think all that far ahead. My plans right now pretty much extend as far out as dinner tonight."

"So you have dinner plans tonight?"

"I thought I would leave that up to you and Luke."

"Logan is working?"

"Yep!"

"Did you want to go out?"

"Doesn't matter to me. We can stay in and actually do movie night."

"Ok, or we could go out and do something fun?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Well, Luke had to head back to the Hollow. Taylor was trying to convince Ceasar to decorate the diner for Halloween."

"Oh I bet Luke's head was about to explode when he got that phone call."

"Taylor better hope the two hour drive calms Luke down and doesn't make him madder. He left your fridge nice and full before he left though, so we have plenty of food to eat in his absence.

"Luke is the best! I really miss his cooking."

"Well me made several of your favorites. All you have to do is heat them up. Care to do some shopping this weekend?"

"I told Dad I would go look at cars with him tomorrow. You should come with us. Make it less painful."

"I can do that. Is Logan working?"

"He'll be sleeping. He's working a graveyard shift tomorrow."

"His schedule seems to change a lot."

"He says it rotates every day. After his days off he starts with a morning shift, and rotates through the schedule to working graveyard before his next days off."

"That seems harsh."

"He's going to try to get it changed."

"You guys have a lot to work out."

"I know. We talked a little bit last night, but it'll be a while before we get everything completely figured out."

"But you're back together now?"

"We both really miss each other. We talked a little bit, but there is still a lot to discuss."

"What all did you talk about?"

"We talked about the break up. Why I said no and what we were both thinking."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Turns out we both had different thoughts and expectations. Logan thought that we would be this happy sun kissed California couple that you see on tv and in the movies. He never put any thought into what might happen if things didn't work out the way he thought they would. He thought we would move to California, get married, and live happily ever after."

"That's a nice thought though. But rarely does anyone ever get married and have everything work out perfectly to where they live happily ever after." Lorelai told her.

"Exactly! My thoughts were that I was 22 and couldn't find a job. What would happen if we got married, and I was trying to find a job with the last name Huntsberger? What non Huntsberger newspaper would be willing to hire me? I was already having a really hard time, and I was still a Gilmore. It would have been a million times worse, and there is no way that I want to work for HPG. Logan doesn't even want to work for HPG! How in the world would I be able to find a job when my last name automatically linked me to one of the biggest newspaper publishers in the world? What would happen to me then? Would I end up being a housewife? Would I become Grandma? Would I be happy with my life if I couldn't be a reporter? Would I be resentful? Would I resent Logan?"

"Those are some pretty loaded questions."

"And then there is Logan. He moved to California without me, and he wasn't even happy. He hated his job. What would have happened had I gone with him? Would he have liked his job better? Would he have hated it, but stuck it out to support us? Would he have left and looked for something else? Would he have gone to medical school? How would he have supported us through medical school? Would we have gone to live with Honor like he had? How would we have afforded medical school?"

"How did he afford that without Daddy footing the bill?"

"Honor paid for it. Logan was going to get student loans, but Honor wouldn't hear of it. Her and Josh wrote a check to cover everything, and Logan lived with them."

"That's one great sister he's got."

"Honor is amazing! Logan said she pulled an Emily Gilmore. Honor demanded she get one day a week to spend together. They used to spend the weekends together, but they now do Wednesdays. They are really close."

"He's really lucky. I used to wish I had a sister."

"You did?"

"Heck yeah! Someone to take all of the focus off of me and all of my inevitable mistakes."

"I can see you wanting that."

"It would have given Mom and Dad someone else to focus on. Maybe it would have made us all less crazy. Who knows?"

"Maybe." Rory agreed.

"So Does Honor know Paris?" Lorelai asked.

"Logan said to never mention Paris to Honor. Apparently they are evil together."

"They ganged up against him, didn't they?"

"Several times!" Rory laughed. "He didn't say anything about it other than they both kicked his sorry ass quite a few times."

"Sounds like it might be an entertaining story."

"Probably. I'm sure I'll eventually hear about it."

"What else did you talk about?"

"His buddy Collin got married."

"One of the stooges?"

"Yeah. He married Stephanie a couple years ago."

"What about the other stooge?"

"Finn is the same as always. He'll never change."

"It's always hard to watch your best friend get married."

"Yeah it is! That is actually why Logan got Rocky. He was sitting home after he got back from the wedding, and he was really bored, and super lonely."

"So he pulled a Lorelai Gilmore, and randomly decided to adopt a dog."

"Pretty much!"

"Does he still see his friends?"

"Not very much. He said they are all busy with their own lives."

"Growing up sucks!"

"You can definitely say that again. Being an adult can definitely be pretty lonely. It's why I work so much. It keeps me from thinking about how much I miss home, and hanging out with you and Lane."

"You can always move back, you know."

"I know. Maybe someday. But I love my job, and it's good for me to be away from everything. I actually have to be an adult and take care of myself."

"Well maybe now that you've got Logan back, you'll take some time to enjoy life again, and not work so much. You two can start taking long weekends every once in a while, and come back to the Hollow for a festival or something."

"That's a good idea. Maybe we'll come home for the firelight festival this year. Logan has only ever been to the spring fling, so maybe I'll start bringing him home for more stuff."

"I think that is a great idea! I won't ever complain about having you around ."

"I'll talk to Logan about it. He loves Stars Hollow. I'm sure he'll be excited to drive down for another town event."

"You can even drive your new car down."

"Speaking of new cars. Francine and Gigi kept asking what I wanted to get. I literally have no idea!"

"Wanna go look? We can go out and try to get an idea before you go out with your Dad tomorrow."

"You mean before WE go out with Dad. You have to come with me."

"Well it's still early. There are a few more hours before the dealers start to close, so let's head out and look. Maybe we can find something that you like." Lorelai said walking into the kitchen and grabbing her purse and keys, then heading for the door with Rory right behind her.

"I still don't think that I need a new car."

"Yeah well, you know as well as I do that your dad isn't going to let you by with that. Your car is 13 years old, and your Dad has his heart set on buying you a new one for your birthday. You might as well just pick something fancy, or he'll just pick something for you, and you won't be getting any say in it at all."

"Gigi thinks I should get a Mercedes."

"You could do that. It's not practical, but it would make your Dad happy."

"I like my Prius."

"What about some kind of hybrid crossover?"

"That might be nice. I was thinking it might be good to get something a little bit bigger than the Prius because my car isn't so easy with Paris' kids' car seats. It would be nice to not have to stand on my head to get the kids in the car."

"Logan has Rocky, so having a bigger car would be easier with Rocky as well."

"You sure are excited about my relationship."

"I'm just happy that you are happy."

"We've only been back together for less than 24 hours." Rory said as they climbed into Lorelai's car.

"Yeah, but you and Logan have always had a pretty intense relationship. You guys weren't just together, you were REALLY together. Always holding hands, always touching. You and Logan have never been casual, or taken things slowly. It's always been 150% for you two. You've never been the best at communication, but you love hard. Maybe this time you guys can try focusing more on actually communicating with each other."

"I'll do my best." Rory said as her phone rang. "Hey you! How's your day going?

"Hi Logan!" Lorelai said loudly.

"My day is going pretty well so far. How's yours? How was your lunch with your long lost Grandma?" Logan asked.

"It was alright. A little uncomfortable at times. I couldn't wait to get back home."

"So what are you up to now?"

"Mom and I are going to look at cars."

"Alone?"

"We're hoping to get an idea of what I want before we go out with Dad tomorrow."

"You guys are going out to look at cars alone?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Don't you know the number one rule when it comes to car shopping?"

"What is the rule?" Rory asked.

"Don't ever go near a car dealer without a guy."

"What? Why?"

"Because car dealers are piranhas. They will suck you in and eat you alive! Especially when it comes to the two of you, who know absolutely NOTHING about cars!"

"And you know something about cars?" Lorelai asked.

"Heck no! I take Colin's auto broker to the dealer with me!"

"Hey, that's a good idea! Mom, does Dad know anything about cars?" Rory asked.

"Yeah right!" Lorelai laughed.

"I'll make a call." Logan told them.

"We're still going to go look." Lorelai told him. "Set something up for tomorrow morning."

"I'll let you know."

"Thanks Logan!" Rory said ending the call.


	9. Chapter 9

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I am currently re-reading everything that I have thus far, making edits and changes, and publishing each chapter as I go. I have quite a bit written so far, but I am also dealing with some writers block, so hopefully by re-reading and editing everything, I'll figure out where to go with this and get it finished. If anyone has any ideas of something they would like to see happen, please feel free to let me know.

* * *

"Hey You!" Rory said with a smile, answering her phone a week later.

"Hey . . . Are you home?" Logan asked in a soft voice.

"I can be if you need me to. I'm at my mom's. I figured you were working an 18 hour shift, so I took Rocky to Stars Hollow to visit mom, and run around with Paul Anka. Is everything ok?"

"It's been a really rough day." he sighed. "I just . . . I could use someone to talk to."

"I'll get in the car and be back in two hours. Want me to meet you at the hospital?"

"I am actually hoping to get out of here soon. We are staffed pretty well, so I can probably leave and they can page me if I'm needed back."

"Ok. I'll meet you at your place then?"

"Thank you. I'm sorry to pull you away from your mom. I know you haven't had much time to go back to visit lately."

"Don't even worry about it. I told you that I would be there when you need me. I'm just holding up my end of the bargain. I'll go grab Rocky, say bye to Mom, and call you as soon as I'm on the road."

"I love you Rory." Logan said quietly.

"I love you too. I'll call you back in a few minutes, ok?"

"Thank you."

"Just try to breathe, ok? I'll be there soon." Rory said then hung up the phone, and reached for her cup of coffee that was sitting on the table next to the couch, and headed for the front door to head outside to where Lorelai was playing with the dogs, grabbing her purse on the way out. "Hey Mom, I've gotta get back to the city."

"Already?! But you just got here!" Lorelai protested.

"I know, and I'm sorry! Logan just called and he needs me. He's having a rough day."

"What's going on? Is everything ok?"

"He didn't say. He only said that he needs someone to talk to. I told him that I would jump in the car, and head back. Come here Rocky, let's get your leash on."

"Logan didn't tell you anything?"

"No, but he sounded pretty down. When we first got back together, Logan told me that some days are really hard. There are days that he's going to be angry and want to beat the crap out of the heavy bag at the gym, and then there are days when he just needs someone there to hold his hand, and love him through it. I have a feeling that today is one of those comfort days."

"Being a doctor isn't easy."

"You can definitely say that again." Rory said as she snapped Rocky's leash on, and lead him over to her car.

"Do you need anything? I can call over to Luke's and have food ready for you to pick up."

"Thanks, but that's ok. I'll get some take out when I get back to the city."

"Ok. Call me when you get there, so I know you got home safe."

"I will. I love you, Mom. Thanks for everything!" Rory said hugging her mom, then getting in her car, and backing out of the driveway to head back to New York.

Two and a half hours later, Logan jumped up from his spot on the couch as Rory walked thru his apartment door with Rocky.

"Hey, are you ok?" Rory asked as Logan rushed toward her, and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"It's been a really rough day." Logan murmured, still holding Rory tightly to him.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Maybe later . . . Right now I just need you."

"Well you've got me. I'm not going anywhere. Just tell me what you need me to do. Are you hungry? I can order us some dinner."

"I just need you to stay with me."

"I'm right here. I promise you, I'm not going anywhere. Let's get you comfortable, ok? Come on, let's go sit." Rory said as there was a knock at the door. "Who is it?" Rory called out.

"Delivery for L. Gilmore." a voice said from the outside.

"Interesting . . ." Rory said as she broke away from Logan and moved toward the door, opening it to see a delivery man with bags of food. "Hi!"

"Are you L. Gilmore?"

"I am."

"Here you go."

"Thank you so much." Logan said stepping up behind Rory, and holding out some money as she took the food bags from the delivery driver.

"It's all paid for." The delivery man told him.

"That's ok. This is for you. Thank you for your help."

"No problem. Thank you Sir. You guys have a good night." the man said, then turned and left.

"Go get comfortable. I'll bring you some food." Rory said stepping past Logan and heading for the kitchen.

"Tell your mom thanks." Logan said following Rory.

"Logan, go sit. I'll bring you some food."

"Rory, you still only have one hand. Let me help you."

"Logan, I'm supposed to be taking care of you. Not the other way around." Rory said as Logan took the bags of food from her.

"You are helping just by being here. Go text your mom. I'll bring you some food." Logan said kissing her, as he began to empty the bags. "Your mom ordered enough to feed a small army."

"An army, or a couple Gilmores."

_Thank you so much for the dinner delivery surprise! We appreciate it so much! There is enough food here to feed a small army._

Rory texted to her mother as she walked toward the couch to make herself comfortable.

_Or a couple of Gilmores._

Rory laughed as she saw Lorelai's witty response pop up.

_I might have said the exact same thing to Logan._

"Here's your food." Logan said placing a plate of food on a tray in front of the couch.

_You are my daughter after all. ;-)_

_Call me tomorrow. Love you!_

Rory's phone beeped to life again.

_Will do. Love you back._

Rory smiled as she sent off her message, then reached for her plate of food.

"How was the Hollow today? Any fun mishaps?" Logan asked.

"Not today. It was pretty mellow. I stopped by Lane's to see her and the family. The boys are getting so big!"

"I haven't seen them since they were babies. How old are they now? Like 9?"

"Almost. It feels weird for them to be so grown up already. I don't feel like we are even old enough to have kids, much less 9 year olds. Didn't we just graduate from high school?"

"In a way, high school seems like it was just yesterday, but at the same time, it feels like it was an entire lifetime ago."

"Well you just did another 8 years of schooling after your 4 years in college."

"Technically 5 years. I took that year off to sail around the world with Collin and Finn."

"And you sunk Daddy's yacht." Rory laughed remembering the story she had heard from Logan and his friends about their yacht trip around the world.

"Yeah well, we all have to be derelicts sometime!"

"I never was." Rory said innocently as she took a bite of food.

"Says the woman who convinced me to steal a boat!" Logan reminded her with a laugh.

"Oh yeah! I forgot about that."

"How in the world can you forget about having a felony on your record?"

"It was expunged after 5 years. After I got the paperwork, I had mom file it away in her safe and I did my best to forget that it ever happened. Isn't that basically what an expungement does? It makes it so that the felony never happened?"

"That's true. I'm sure the expungement is the reason I even have a job right now."

"How many do you have?"

"Jobs? Just the one."

"Expungements."

"A few." Logan laughed. "But you are one of a very select few people who know about them."

"I feel so privileged!"

"Eh! I was kind of a jerk when I was younger. Who knew I would meet a gorgeous brainiac girl at 20 years old, who would completely change my life?!"

"Oh, you're a sweet talker, Huntzberger! Who knew that I would meet a self centered snobby man whore, who would turn me into a juvenile delinquent!"

"I've been called worse things."

"Worse than a Butt Faced Miscreant?"

"Have you met Paris Gellar?!"

"You have a point." Rory agreed laughing. "So now that I've got you in a much better mood, you want to tell me what happened at work today?" Rory asked.

Logan sighed as he set his plate down on the table next to the couch, and leaned back to rest against the pillows behind him.

"A 14 year old girl was brought into the ER with a drug overdose, and we lost her."

"Ouch!"

"I was about her age when I started hardcore partying with my friends, and barely older than her the first time I tried drugs."

"I can see why it hit you so hard."

"I didn't think about it when I was in the midst of all of the debauchery, but I was a complete idiot!"

"You didn't exactly have the most stellar parents to teach you what not to do."

"I know that now . . . It's just really hard to loose a kid, especially when they did the same thing that I did, multiple times. Somehow I never overdosed, but I definitely partied pretty hard."

"You had alcohol poisoning quite a few times." Rory added.

"Those are just the times that you knew about."

"I'm sure I don't even want to ask."

"There were some really dark days after we split up . . ."

"Yeah . . ." Rory agreed quietly.

They were both silent for a couple minutes before Logan finally spoke again.

"Let's talk about something happier."

"You are off work tomorrow, right?"

"Correct. But I'm on call. I'm having lunch with Honor if you want to come."

"Sure, that sounds nice."

"She will be excited to see you again. And if I get called in, you two can go shopping or something without me."

"Where are we having lunch?"

"I don't know. Honor said she would let me know in the morning."

"You remember that I have that doctor appointment on Thursday so I can get released to go back to work, right?"

"Yeah. And I talked to Doctor Hamilton today."

"You did?"

"They called me to confirm your appointment. I guess they couldn't reach you."

"Cell service in the Hollow." Rory chuckled.

"We're doing another x-ray to make sure everything healed properly. You'll be a kind of stiff when the cast comes off, but the range and movement will come back. We'll soak your hand and stretch a lot. He asked me if I think you will need physical therapy."

"And?"

"It's a possibility, and probably a good idea. It will help you get your strength back."

"I need to go back to work. I am really behind right now."

"You realize that you won't be able to go back to typing and regular activities right away, right?"

"I've been in a cast before."

"Yeah, but it's been a while. And you were a lot less stubborn back then."

"How do you know?!"

"Please, how long have I known you?!" Logan laughed. "If there is one thing I know better than anyone, except for maybe Luke, it's that you Gilmore women get more and more stubborn as you age."

"Speaking of aging . . ." Rory started. "Grandma and Grandpa want to come take me to dinner for my birthday."

"On your birthday?"

"You know Grandma."

"What did Lorelai say?"

"She said it's up to us, and that she's sure you've got plans."

"I have to work. I'll see if I can trade with someone next week, but I'm scheduled for the evening shift."

"We can celebrate another day."

"I was planning to. We can do anything you want. Gorge on all your favorite junk food."

"We'll figure something out." Rory said as Logan's phone rang.

"Logan Huntzberger." Logan said answering his phone. "Sure, I can do that. Does it need to be tonight, or can I stop by in the morning? Or I can call them if that's ok . . . Sure, give me about 20-30 minutes, and I'll be there . . . Ok, if anything changes before I get there, let me know. I'm on my way." Logan said ending the call as he got up from the couch to go find his shoes. "Want to come to the hospital with me?" He asked looking toward Rory.

"If you want me to."

"You wouldn't believe who is in town, and on their way there."

"Do you want me to guess?"

"My parents . . . They were at some function and apparently mom tripped or something, so they are on their way to the hospital. Honor is meeting me there."

"Family party in the ER!"

"They are demanding I be there. I talked to Honor on my way home, so she knew there would be a major scene if I'm not there."

"Sounds like loads of fun! I can stay here unless you want me to come. I'm not exactly your parents' favorite person."

"Neither am I. I'm sure they'll put on the fake 'proud parents of a doctor' act, but then treat me like crap and rip into me about how I abandoned them and HPG. They'll be super rude to every hospital employee who has the misfortune of coming in contact with them, and they'll completely undermine me to Doctor Greenley. It'll be a blast!" Logan said sarcastically.

"So you need backup then."

"Pretty much! You can always escape to my office when they get to be too much."

"That works. I guess they had to find out about us eventually, so it might as well be now."

"And they'll be better behaved with an audience." Logan chuckled offering Rory his hand to help her up from the couch. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

"You owe me coffee."

"Deal!"

"I love you too." Rory smiled giving him a kiss, then slipping her feet back into the shoes she had kicked off when she sat down on the couch. "Should we take some food with us? For Honor?"

"Heck no! It's going in the fridge for when we get back!" Logan said as he went into the kitchen to quickly put all the food away. "There is no way I'm sharing all of this with the parentals! I'll order Honor something if she hasn't eaten yet."

30 minutes later  
Columbia Presbyterian Hospital

"Doctor Huntzberger, what are you doing back?" a nurse asked as Logan walked past the nurses station with Rory next to him.

"I got a call that my parents were on their way here. I guess my mom got hurt at some event in town. Have they arrived yet?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't taken in any new patients from the waiting room in the last half hour. Why don't we check the computer."

"They must not be here then. Trust me, you'll know when they get here. They're kind of loud and demanding. I should just apologize to everyone right now. Is Veronica here?"

"Yeah, she's around here somewhere."

"Please track her down, and put her solo on my mother. I don't want to inflict my difficult parents on anyone else. Veronica doesn't cry easily. I'm not officially here, but I'll take on my mother with an assist from Doctor Greenley. Go ahead and page him to find me. What rooms are open? Is 35 free?"

"It should be."

"Ok, I'll go ahead and take that one. It's far enough away from everyone else, so unless we get slammed, you guys will have a nice buffer. I'll start checking my mother in on the computer. Just call out front to Constance and let her know to put my parents in room 35 as soon as they arrive. I'll meet them there." Logan said as he stepped behind a computer. "Rory, here's my phone. Will you call Honor and let her know the plan?" Logan asked, handing Rory his phone, before starting to type information into the computer.

"Sure." Rory smiled taking the phone.

"1,0,0,8,8,4." Logan said without looking up.

"My birthday?!"

"Maybe." Logan winked as he typed.

"Doctor Huntzberger, there are a couple people in the waiting room asking for you specifically." a nurse said approaching the nurses station a couple of minutes later.

"Thanks Brittany. Please take them to room 35, and let them know that I will be right with them. I'm sorry if they are short with you. I'll explain later."

"No problem." Brittany smiled, then walked away.

"Honor just pulled in." Rory said ending the call, and setting Logan's phone on the counter next to him.

"Veronica?" Logan started as he saw Veronica heading his way. "I need a huge favor!"

"Stacey said your mother is coming in and you wanted me to take her on solo?" Veronica asked.

"I'll buy you dinner, or ice cream or whatever. From what I've been told, my mom got hurt at some event she was at with my dad. My parents are kind of a pain in the ass. I'll let Rory tell you about it. You are the only nurse I know who doesn't cry easily. My older sister just got here. Would you mind escorting Rory out to get her, then bring the both back to room 35?"

"Sure thing! It's nice to see you again Rory."

"You too. Thank you so much for everything you did for me when I was brought in." Rory said walking away with Veronica.

Five minutes later, Rory and Honor walked into Shira's room in the emergency department.

"I've got coffee!" Honor announced as her parents looked toward the door.

"Honor! So good of you to come!" Shira smiled at her daughter.

"Rory. What a nice surprise." Mitchum said kindly as Veronica stepped thru the door behind her.

"Honor, I need to get Mom's actual weight." Logan told her. "I know she would never let me see her anywhere near a scale, but maybe you can get it for me? Veronica would you mind taking them up to triage, just to get me a weight. I can get the rest of the vitals from here. Just grab me a thermometer on your way back?" Logan asked.

"I'm happy to." Veronica smiled, then turned to Shira. "Hi Mrs. Huntzberger, I' m Veronica. Let's take a little field trip." she said moving toward the bed, and grabbing the wheelchair sitting next to it to help Shira. "Your dress is gorgeous!"

"Thank you." Shira smiled fakely as she moved back to sitting in the wheelchair, that had brought her in. Veronica pushed the wheelchair out of the room, with Honor following behind her, winking at Rory on her way out.

"Rory, I heard you work for the Times now." Mitchum said after the women were gone.

"Yes, I do." Rory answered.

"You didn't have to come with Honor tonight, but it is kind of you to be here with her."

"Rory came with me, Dad." Logan said turning from the computer in the room, to face his father. "Not that it is any business of yours, but Rory and I are in a relationship, and there is nothing that you, mom, or anyone else can do to change that, and if you dare to even try, I will cut you off so fast, that you will wonder where the freight train that hit you came from. You WILL be polite to Rory. I'm not even on the clock right now. I was at home when Honor called me, asking me to come back in. It's been a really long day, and I am not in the mood to be here. So please, can we all just get along? I came in as a favor, mostly to the other hospital staff. So let's all be on our best behavior, or I'll just take Rory and go back home, and you can stay here dealing with another doctor and nurse who I'm sure you would love to attempt to discredit, and push around. Do you understand?"

"Now Logan, why wouldn't I be anything but polite to Rory?"

"That goes for Mom too. I expect you to reign her in." Logan said as Rory handed him a cup of coffee.

"Now Logan, I really don't understand why you think so little of us."

"I don't think little of you. I just know you."

"Would you like some coffee? It's decaf?" Rory asked holding a cup out toward Mitchum.

"Thank you Rory. That is sweet of you."

"It's from Honor. She got decaf for you and chamomile tea for Shira."

"Mom can't have any food or drinks until her x-rays come back." Logan told them.

"Logan, do still have that dog?" Mitchum asked.

"Rocky isn't going anywhere."

"Rory, what do you think of Logan's dog?"

"Rocky and I are buddies. He's fun to hang out with. We had a doggy playdate today."

"You didn't work today?"

"Not today." Rory smiled as Veronica and Honor brought Shira back into the room.

"Here you go Logan." Honor said handing Logan a post-it with Shira's weight written on it.

"Thank you! Mom, I need to get a few more vitals, while we wait for x-ray." Logan said moving toward his mom as Veronica handed him a thermometer.

"Rory, what happened to your arm?" Shira asked.

"Oh, this?" Rory asked holding up her casted hand. "I got in a fight with a tiger at the zoo." she said causing Logan to stifle a laugh, and Honor to completely crack up, almost spitting out her coffee.

"That's a good one!" Honor said between laughs.

"So what really happened?" Mitchum asked.

"Roy and I had a little disagreement, and his tiger Mantecore and I went rounds. Siegfried says next time I can fight the lion." Rory answered causing Logan to burst into laughter.

"She's funny!" Mitchum said chuckling. "I can see why you like her."

"Rory has an awesome sense of humor!" Honor told them. "There is never a dull moment when she is hanging around."

"She just needs to stop drop kicking those muggers." Veronica added from behind Logan.

"You fought a mugger?" Shira asked.

"Oh yes! Veronica never even saw it coming! Rory is just that stealthy." Logan told them.

"Yeah well next time, I'm not going to be the one to stitch her up after a fight." Veronica agreed.

"You stitched me up?" Rory asked? "Wow, I must have been really out of it, because I could have sworn it was some egotistical blonde doctor."

"No, Siegfried had to leave, remember?" Veronica laughed. "Dr. Gellar and I took turns making designs with the stitches. We're hoping to see some pretty nifty scars after you heal."

"You all think you are so clever." Shira said rolling her eyes.

"Rory had an accident at work. She's fine, and should make a full recovery. I stitched and casted her myself with Veronica's help. She should get her cast off in two days." Logan explained as the door opened and an x-ray tech walked in. "Perfect timing! Mom, this is Maxwell. He'll be taking you for x-rays. Do you want to take a ride in the chair again, or would you rather take the bed?"

"The chair is probably easier." Honor told her.

"Honor, why don't you take Dad down to the cafeteria or something while Mom is getting pictures of her foot."

"That's a good idea. Come on Dad. Let's go find some snacks." Honor said linking her arm through Mitchum's and leading him out of the room.

"Doctor Huntzberger, let me know if you need anything else." Veronica said, then followed them out of the room as Logan collapsed in a chair next to the bed.

"I think my dad liked your story." Logan said holding his hand out for Rory.

"I thought it might be more entertaining to come up with a new story rather than admitting that I got in a fight with scissors."

"How'd you come up with the Tiger's name?"

"That is his real name. I wrote an article about the attack after it happened."

"Your memory fascinates me."

"You know what fascinates me?" Rory asked as Logan pulled her into his lap. "What a hot doctor you are."

"Oh really?"

"If we weren't at the hospital, I could show you just how fascinated I am."

"Maybe you can show me later." Logan said giving her a chaste kiss, then leaning exhaustively back in the chair. "I can't wait to collapse in bed tonight."

"Hey Logan" Honor started as she walked back into the room with Mitchum a couple minutes later. "Would you mind checking Dad out?"

"Sure, what's going on?" He asked as Rory got up from his lap, allowing Logan to stand up.

"I don't know, he's just not acting like himself. He's a little slow and seems out of breath."

"Dad, take a seat." Logan said as he pressed the call button on the side of the bed.

"Can I help you?" A voice asked over the intercom.

"This is Doctor Huntzberger, will you send Veronica in please? And I need a stethoscope. Mine is in my office if someone wants to get, I have the keys on me. But I need one right away please."

"Right away." the voice answered.

"How are you feeling Dad? For real. Don't blow me off." Logan told him.

"I'm fine, Logan." Mitchum answered.

"Your tie is messed up. You never take that thing off unless you are climbing into bed." Logan said noticing Mitchum's loosened tie. You feeling hot? You look a little pale."

"It's warm in here." Mitchum answered.

"Squeeze my fingers Logan said holding up two fingers on each hand.

"Logan, come on. I'm fine."

"Dad, stop fighting this." Honor told him. "Everyone in this room can tell that there is something off with you, and we are going to get to the bottom of it right now. Please let Logan check you out."

"I'm telling you two, I'm fine!"

"Sure. I'll believe that when I see your test results." Logan said as Mitchum squeezed his fingers.

"You called?" Veronica asked as she walked into the room.

"Can I borrow your stethoscope?"

"Sure!" she said removing it from her neck and handing it over.

"My dad is going to be needing some tests run. Would you mind grabbing me a portable ultrasound? I also need to get an echo. Do you have a pulse ox on you?"

"Right here." Veronica said pulling the small device out of her pocket, handing it to Logan.  
"Should we enter him into the computer system."

"We need to, yes." Logan said as he slipped the pulse ox monitor onto Mitchum's finger, watching the numbers start to move as Veronica moved to the computer and logged herself in. "Shit!" Logan cursed, then pressed the call button on the bed again.

"Can I help you?" the voice came again.

"I have a possible Myocardial infarction. I need an echo and portable ultrasound STAT! Please page Doctor Greenley and get Cardiology in here immediately."

"I'm ready for information." Veronica said from the computer.

"Mitchum Huntzberger; M-I-T-C-H-U-M, birthdate 5/25/53, 6 feet 4 inches tall. Oxygen is at 92, pulse is 94." Logan said as he moved to the wall, and twisted a knob.

Rory and Honor watched as Logan moved around the room, and Veronica turned to the cabinets next to her, and removed a plastic package tossing it toward Logan.

"Thank you. Dad, we are going to give you some oxygen to help you breathe better. Then we need to get this suit off of you. You can either take it off willingly, or I'll cut it off myself.

"This is fun." Honor commented as she stood out of the way next to Rory. "We come in because Mom tripped at some event, and now Dad is having a heart attack."

"Hey, at least this is a good place for him to be having it. Things could be a lot worse." Rory told her as they watched Logan remove Mitchum's suit jacket, then begin unbuttoning his shirt as the door opened and a couple more nurses walked into the room pushing a carts with machines on them, followed by Doctor Greenley.

"Doctor Huntzberger, what's going on?" Doctor Greenley asked.

"67 years old, low oxygen, high pulse, short of breath, slower than normal, not acting like himself." Logan answered. "I need an echo and ultrasound."

"Sounds like a Myocardial infarction." Doctor Greenley said calmly, moving to Logan's side.

"Exactly! We just need confirmation; a ct and possibly an MRI to determine treatment. Is cardiology on the way?" Logan asked as they began preparing the ultrasound machine, and spreading gel on Mitchum's chest.

"Yeah, they should be here any minute. Are these ladies family?"

"The patient is my Dad." Logan told him. "My sister Honor and girlfriend Rory. My Dad brought my Mom in after she fell at an event they were at in the city. She's getting x-rays right now. Honor was entertaining Dad for me, and brought him back asking me to check him out because he was acting off."

"Doctor Greenley." a voice said as another doctor walked in the door.

"Doctor Levan, we have a Myocardial Infarction. We are doing an ultrasound, then an echo. The patient is Huntzberger's father."

"He's in good hands here." Doctor Levan smiled. "Let me get a look at what is going on here."

"Rory, why don't we step out." Honor suggested as the door opened again, and Shira appeared with a nurse.

"Honor, darling, what is going on here?" Shira asked.

"Oh nothing. Dad is just having a heart attack. But don't worry, Logan has it all under control." Honor said nonchalantly.

"What!?" Shira suddenly roared.

"Mom, I've got it. Honor, will you . . ." Logan started.

"I've got it. We'll be in the hall." Honor told him, then turned with Rory and pushed Shira's wheelchair back out the door, and a short distance down the hall.

"Honor, where are we going?! This is ridiculous! Your father can't be having a heart attack!"

"Well he is, but he's in the best place for a heart attack to happen. We got lucky! Logan is taking care of everything. I'm sure Dad will be fine. How did your x-rays go?"

"Oh, they're just as painful as ever!"

"Did they tell you anything?"

"Not a single thing! They won't even give me some pain killer in this place!"

"I'm sure as soon as Logan gets Dad taken care of, he'll be more than happy to help you out. But right now, your foot is not an emergency. I'm sorry mom, but Dad's heart attack is a way higher priority."

"Shira, what event were you at?" Rory asked.

"It was a fundraiser for St. Jude's children's hospital. It was lovely."

"Where was it at?" Honor asked.

"Uptown at the Astoria. That hotel is absolutely beautiful! It's so grand and regal. You would have loved it. Just the flower arrangements alone were to die for! Tons of roses in large displays, all over the ballroom."

"How did you get hurt?"

"I took a tumble down the grand staircase."

"Ouch!" Rory commented. "Stairs are evil!"

"It was just awful! I was walking down the stairs with your father, and all of a sudden something happened, and down I went! I can't even get my shoe back on!"

"Well that's what happens with swelling Mom."

"It looks just awful! It's all bruised and puffy." Shira pouted.

"Would you like some ice? I can go find you an ice pack." Rory offered.

"That would be lovely, thank you Rory."

"Thanks Rory." Honor smiled as Rory headed down the hallway to track down an ice pack.

"Honor, Darling, tell me, what is Rory Gilmore doing here?" Shira asked after Rory was out of earshot.

"She's Logan's girlfriend Mom. She came with Logan. He worked all day, and was at home with Rory when I called him."

"When did they start dating again? I thought we were free of that girl?"

"It's been a few weeks I think. And Logan is really happy right now. Happier than I've seen him in years. So please Mom, please be nice to her and don't mess this up for them."

"Rory is not an appropriate wife for this family, Honor."

"Mom, with all due respect, that is none of your business! Logan can date and marry whoever he wants. And as long as he is happy, Logan's relationship is none of anyone else's business!"

"Honor honey, she knows nothing about our lifestyle."

"Mom, you do realize who her parents are, right?"

"Her mother is that dreadful disgraced Gilmore girl."

"You mean Lorelai? She is a lovely woman, Mother! And you would know that if you ever gave her a chance. You may not know this, but Rory is also a Hayden."

"Hayden? The only Hayden family I know of is Strobe and Francine. But Strobe died years ago."

"Those are her grandparents, yes. Rory's dad is their son, Christopher. Which actually makes Rory way more of an elite heiress than anyone in our family!"

"How did I not know that Rory is a Hayden?"

"Because she doesn't advertise it. Rory isn't like that Mom. Rory doesn't care about the family business, or any of the money. Rory wasn't raised like that Mom. She likes to do her own thing, and earn her keep. She isn't into going shopping all the time, and buying fancy expensive things. Those are just things to her, and she has no need for them. Rory likes to live a simple life. She could live exactly like you do, if she wanted to. The money is right there waiting for her should she ever want it. But Rory just doesn't care. Emily and Richard paid for her to go to Yale, as did her father. But Rory refused to take anything more from them. Everything that Rory has, she's earned for herself. You should love that about her. She's not the gold digging witch you've always thought her to be. She isn't after our family's 'fortune'. She's got one of her own, that is way more valuable than ours, and it literally means nothing to her! So please, be nice to Rory. Give her a chance. She makes Logan happy, and as a mother, that should make you happy."

"She is really a Hayden? Are you sure?"

"I'm positive! You can call Emily Gilmore and ask for yourself if you'd like. I'm sure she would be more than happy to confirm it for you." Honor said as they saw Rory heading back toward them with an ice pack in her hand.

"Rory, Sweetie, you're my hero!" Shira said sweetly as Rory handed her the ice pack.

"It was my pleasure." Rory smiled as she saw Logan step out of the room a short distance behind them, and head their way. "Hey, how's your Dad?" she asked as Logan stopped next to the women.

"It's definitely a heart attack. Dad has a major blockage. He's heading into emergency surgery."

"Please tell me you are kidding." Shira said baffled.

"It's serious Mom. I don't know much about heart problems, but Dad is in great hands with Doctor Levan. He is one of the best cardiologists in the state. They'll be taking him in just a few minutes. I was just told that your x-rays came back clear. It looks like you just have a bad sprain. As soon as they take Dad into surgery, I'll get your foot wrapped, and get you released. Honor, can Mom stay with you for a few days? Dad won't be going anywhere for at least a week."

"Yes, of course. That isn't a problem at all." Honor answered,

"You know I'll help out too, if you need it." Rory told her.

"Thank you Rory, you are so sweet!"

"Rory, I need to talk to you about something. Give me a few minutes." Logan said, then turned and headed back to the room to his Dad. "Sorry, before you take him in, can I have a minute alone with my Dad?" Logan asked.

"Sure, but make it quick." Doctor Levan told him, then proceeded to leave the room with Doctor Greenley and the nurses, closing the door behind them.

"Dad, I need your safe code. Just in case. I'm positive everything will go fine, but just in case, I need the code."

"It's your sister's birthday. 08291975" Mitchum murmured.

"Thank you. I'll make sure everything is taken care of with HPG. You'll be out for a while."

"Are you going back?"

"Absolutely not! But I'll make sure things are taken care of, and meet with the board as needed. Don't worry about anything. I'll handle it. You just need to focus on getting well again. I'm going to go grab Mom and Honor." Logan said stepping toward the door, opening it and looking down the hallway. "Honor, you guys can come talk to Dad for a quick minute before he goes back."

5 minutes later Mitchum was taken out of the room, and headed for surgery, leaving the rest of the family behind. Logan got Shira's foot bandaged up, and put in an order for some pain killer, and crutches, then had her released from the hospital. Since it would be several hours before Mitchum would be out of surgery, Honor took Shira home to her house for the night.

"I need a favor." Logan said walking into his office with Rory, and collapsing on the couch.


	10. Chapter 10

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I am currently re-reading everything that I have thus far, making edits and changes, and publishing each chapter as I go. I have quite a bit written so far, but I am also dealing with some writers block, so hopefully by re-reading and editing everything, I'll figure out where to go with this and get it finished. If anyone has any ideas of something they would like to see happen, please feel free to let me know.

* * *

8pm

Columbia Presbyterian Hospital

New York City, New York

"What kind of favor?" Rory asked as she sat down on the couch in Logan's office, next to where Logan had just collapsed in exhaustion.

"It's a really big one. And I know you, your first instinct is going to be to say no, absolutely not. But I need you to really hear me out on this one. It's important, and I think it is a great opportunity for both of us."

"Ok, you've piqued my interest . . ."

"I need you to take an extended leave of absence from work, and take over HPG."

"What!?"

"I know this isn't what you wanted. You hate HPG, and want nothing to do with them, I know. And I normally would never ask this of you, in a million years. But you're YOU, Rory. I need someone to take over for my Dad, and I have zero interest or desire to do it. Plus, the hospital needs me, and I can't take myself away from here for that long. I need someone at HPG that I can trust to run things while my Dad is recovering, and I don't trust anyone there to do a good job, and not shove a knife in my back. It wouldn't be forever, and I'll be right there to help you. Any time I'm not here at the hospital, I'll be right there in the office with you. And I'll be there for every board meeting. I won't let anyone hurt you. I just really need you to take over for my Dad. It is such a great opportunity for you. You know how prestigious HPG is. I know you have an amazing job at the times, that you love, and you've worked your ass off for. And I would never ask you to give that up. But you've been taking time off for your injury anyway. Just think of this as more time off, with much better pay. And then when my Dad is able to come back, you'll still have the times to go back to. Or, if you decide that you actually do like HPG, you can have any position you want with the company. I'm sure I can wrangle it so that you are the one taking over for Dad when he eventually retires, like I was originally supposed to before I walked away. I know that you like to earn things, and you don't like anything handed to you. But this is literally the offer of a lifetime, and I really think that you should take it. If anything, running HPG will look amazing on your resume, and you can literally go walk into any newspaper, anywhere in the world when you are done, and be begged to run the place. I really think that this is good idea. I would never ask you to join the family company unless it's what you really wanted, but this is your chance to stick it to my entire family. Every single one of them who has never thought that you weren't 'good enough'. This is your chance to step in as their boss, and show them all who you really are."

"I don't know Logan . . . That is a lot to taken on."

"I know it is. But I will be right there with you. I'm going to put in for a couple weeks of emergency family leave right now. We need to jump on this immediately, before the board finds out that Dad had a heart attack, and has the chance to start planning his removal. Please, will you do this for me?"

"You'll really be there with me? You hate that place!"

"I know. Trust me, I want nothing to do with HPG just as much as you don't. But in all honesty, this is our chance to secure our future. Dad still has it in his head that someday I'll grow up, and get over this whole doctor thing, and go running right back to the family business. There isn't a chance in hell of that happening. But if you want to, when Dad retires, you can take over! This is the perfect chance for you to jump in and show everybody what you are made of. You are the perfect person to take over the company if you want to. Dad wants the company to stay in the family, and you taking over does that."

"What kind of salary are we talking?"

"I'll get you at least half of what Dad makes, right now."

"Logan, don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not. I'm deadly serious. The board will eat that up. Dad's replacement will only cost them half of his enormous salary. It's more than double what you make right now."

"Logan, I don't need that much money. I'm happy to stick with what I've already got."

"Trust me, taking over for Dad, you deserve that much money."

"What about benefits? I think I'll loose mine taking extended leave.

"You'll have benefits immediately. Plus, I can see about adding you to my policy thru the hospital. You might have to officially move in with me to do that, but it's definitely doable.

"You promise you aren't just throwing me to the wolves?"

"I would never do that! I honestly think this is a good idea, and an amazing career move."

"I guess, as long as you are there to fall back on, I can try to take over for your Dad."

"Please don't joke with me. I haven't even had to beg you yet."

"Logan . . ."

"Rory, I'm serious."

"So am I. If you are there to help me then I guess I can give it a shot."

"You are amazing Rory! Thank you!" Logan said throwing his arms around her, hugging her tight. "You are such a lifesaver! This means so much to me!"

"You are the ONLY person that I would ever do this for."

"I know." Logan said as he released her from his arms, and gave her a quick kiss, then moved to his desk and powered on his computer. "Do you happen to know of anyone who wants to be your assistant? Because I can pretty much guarantee that you are going to need one. And I would much rather have you pick someone that you like, and is loyal to you, than some ass kisser at HPG that has misplaced loyalty, and I'll have to worry about stabbing you in the back."

"Too bad I can't take Paris with me."

"Now that would be entertaining! But that is actually great thinking. I wonder if I can persuade Doyle. I'm sure a nice hefty salary will reel him in like a dog to bacon."

"That actually isn't a bad idea. Doyle knows the business just as well, if not better than I do."

"Get him on the phone. We need to move fast. I'm going to reschedule your doctors appointment for tomorrow morning, then we can go storm HPG and begin the takeover. The sooner we hit them, the better." Logan said as Rory reached for her phone.

"Hey Paris, it's Rory. Can we come over?" Rory asked as soon as Paris answered the phone.

"Of course you can come over, you have a key. Why would you even ask that?" Paris asked.

"I don't know, because I'm a polite person who asks before she just randomly invades somebody else's home? And I know that it's bedtime."

"Well if you hurry up and get here, I'll keep the kids up a little while longer, and you can kiss them goodnight."

"You don't have to do that, Paris, but thank you. I would actually really love that. We'll be there as soon as we can." Rory told her, then disconnected the call. "Let's go!"

"I said get Doyle on the phone, not let's go get interrogated by Paris." Logan whined.

"I know you did, but Logan, this is a really big decision, and no one should be randomly jumping into it. I think it's better if we all sit down and discuss things together. Doyle leaving the Wallstreet Journal is a joint decision that needs to be discussed with both him and Paris, and shouldn't be a conversation we have over the phone. It's not right. This decision directly effects not just Doyle, but Paris and the kids too. This is their future that we are messing with. Would you appreciate it if someone made a phone call to one of us, completely disrupting our life, throwing everything into chaos without sitting down to discuss everything first? Would you really be ok with that?"

"Dang it Ace, sometimes I really hate when you are right."

"So get up, let's go. We've gotta go tuck the kids into bed."

"How about we tuck me into bed too? I've been up since 5am."

"I'm sure Paris has coffee." Rory said holding her hand out to pull Logan up off the couch.

30 Minutes Later

Gellar-McMaster Residence

Manhattan, New York

"Auntie Rory!" Paris and Doyle's twins squealed when Doyle opened the door to see Logan and Rory standing outside.

"Hey Munchkins! I've missed you!" Rory said hugging the kids.

"Catherine, Bradley, it's time for bed." Paris said walking into the room to greet her friends.

"Auntie Rory, Unca Ogan, will you read us a story?" Catherine asked.

"I would love to! Uncle Logan needs to talk to Mommy and daddy, but I will definitely tuck you in and read you a story tonight. Let's go upstairs. Kiss Mommy and Daddy goodnight." Rory told them.

"Come give me a hug too." Logan told them, crouching down on the floor next to the twins, and holding his arms out.

"Good night Unca Ogan." Catherine said hugging Logan, then moving to her parents.

"Unca Ogan! I miss you!" Bradley said throwing himself into Logan's arms.

"Hey Buddy! I miss you too! You go right to bed for Auntie Rory, ok? I'll come over and play with you guys soon, alright?"

"Ok." Bradley agreed, then hugged his parents, and took Rory's hand and headed upstairs to bed.

"Ok, spill it. What's going on? Why the sudden need to come over?" Paris asked Logan as they watched Rory head up the stairs with the children.

"We have a business proposition for you guys." Logan said with a sigh.

"And judging by that sigh, it sounds exhausting!"

"I'm just really tired. Can we go sit down?"

"That's a good idea. I'll get you some coffee. You guys get comfortable in the living room." Doyle told them.

"Thank you Doyle. I really appreciate it." Logan said following his friends through their house, to the living room.

Twenty minutes later, Rory sat down on the couch next to Logan in the living room, and Doyle handed her a cup of coffee.

"So everything is going good in the love nest?" Doyle asked. "Rory, how's your hand doing? Paris told me you got in a fight with some scissors."

"Yeah, it was nice and embarrassing." Rory answered.

"But I see the end result was beneficial. You look really happy. Happier than I've seen you in years."

"Thank you Doyle. I am. Things are definitely looking up."

"We are really happy for you guys. You've both been a shell of your normal selves for a really long time. I told Paris years ago that we should have just invited you two over, and locked you in a room together for a few hours until you either killed each other, or finally decided to work things out. But she reused to let me do it."

"You know, that might have been kind of interesting." Logan said raising his eyebrows and looking at Rory.

"I don't know, they would probably have been a lot of yelling depending on when they did it. Things might have gotten ugly."

"The uglier the fight, the better the makeup."

"And that right there is enough to make me vomit." Paris said seeing the gooey looks on her friends' faces. "Can we please get to why you two are here now? Because the gooey looks on your faces are just grossing me out.

"We are just glad that you two are finally happy again." Doyle told them.

"So, why the need to come over tonight?" Paris asked.

"Logan has a business proposition for Doyle, and I told him that we all need to sit down and talk about it, because it directly effects you and the kids." Rory told them.

"Well Thank you for being so considerate."

"What's going on?" Doyle asked.

"You both know my history with my parents, and the family business." Logan started. "Well, my Dad just had a heart attack. He's in surgery right now."

"What hospital is he at?" Paris asked. "Are you having him transferred?"

"He's at Columbia with Doctor Levan. He actually had the heart attack there."

"Mitchum and Shira were in the city for a charity event, and Shira tripped down a flight of stairs spraining her ankle. Logan got a call demanding that he meet them at the hospital, and conveniently Mitchum's heart attack hit while we were waiting on x-rays." Rory explained.

"Wow! When the Huntzbergers come to town, lightening strikes!" Paris commented.

"So your dad is in surgery. Is he expected to be ok?" Doyle asked.

"We aren't sure yet. I haven't gotten any updates. I left a note for Doctor Levan to call me as soon as he's got any news. I had Honor take Mom home to her house for the next few days. The tests we ran in the ER showed a large blockage, so it's going to be several hours before we know anything."

"He'll be out of commission for a while. But hopefully with some lifestyle changes, he will be able to recover." Paris told them.

"That's our hope. But since Dad will be in the hospital for a while, that pulls him out of work, and as we all know, that pus the family business in jeopardy." Logan told them.

"Which means that are being forced to step up." Paris commented.

"Kind of . . . Here's the thing though . . . I have zero desire to go back to that life. I've fought way too hard to dig myself out of that hole. You of all people know that, Paris. I've practically killed myself to have a life that I want. There is no way that I want to go back to that hell! But I came up with a plan to give the company what they need without me having to give up everything that I've worked so hard for . . . Dad's entire goal in life is to keep the company in the immediate family, and one day turn the company over to me. But everyone in this house knows that there is no shot in hell of me ever wanting it. But I realized tonight that I know someone who is perfect to take over . . . I asked Rory to step in. Giving her the company keeps it in the family."

"Until you go through a bitter divorce ten years down the road." Paris commented.

"Paris, bite your tongue!" Rory snapped.

"What?! Those things happen. Especially in this day and age."

"Anyway!" Doyle said, interrupting the crazy turn things had just taken. "So Rory agreed to take over HPG?"

"I made her an offer she couldn't refuse." Logan told them. "But if anyone knows what a nightmare that company is, it's me. Rory is going to need a lot of help, and I refuse to throw her to the wolves. She is going to need someone at her side to help her with the daily tasks and operations, so we were thinking that maybe Doyle would be willing to step in as Rory's personal assistant."

"What does that mean?" Paris asked.

"It means that Doyle would be leaving the job he has now, and moving into the HPG offices to work with Rory. Rory would only be taking over for my dad until he eventually recovers enough to go back to work, which will probably be several months. But because it's HPG, we have the option of putting you in a position at any paper in the country. You could have an editor position if that is what you want when Dad steps back in. And because Dad is out right now, it makes me next in line, and gives me the power to hire you on at any salary necessary. I need someone I can trust to be loyal to Rory, and to myself. I don't need to deal with some backstabbing gold digger with loyalty to the vipers in my extended family who is going to fight us over every little thing we try to do. Rory and Doyle already know the business, and have the experience necessary to move the company forward without disruption. So I guess what I'm saying is that I need you to name you price. Tell me what it is going to take for Doyle to bail on the Wallstreet Journal tonight, and start at HPG with Rory tomorrow morning."


	11. Chapter 11

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I am currently re-reading everything that I have thus far, making edits and changes, and publishing each chapter as I go. I have quite a bit written so far, but I am also dealing with some writers block, so hopefully by re-reading and editing everything, I'll figure out where to go with this and get it finished. If anyone has any ideas of something they would like to see happen, please feel free to let me know.

* * *

10:45 the next morning

Huntzberger Publishing Group Tower

New York City

"There he is." Rory said as Doyle met both her and Logan outside of the massive HPG building.

"Huntzberger, you seriously want to over pay me, to be Rory's assistant?" Doyle asked.

"We originally thought Paris would be the perfect person for the job, but there is no way in hell she would ever do it, but we knew that you would." Logan laughed.

"Plus, you're a lot less bossy, easier to deal with, and just as good as Paris is, so it's a win win." Rory told him.

"Wow, there is nothing like being second best to my wife!" Doyle laughed.

"Oh come on Doyle, you know you aren't offended." Rory said rolling her eyes.

"You ready to piss some people off?" Logan asked them.

"Let's do this!" Doyle smiled as they headed into the building.

"Rory, come here for a second." Logan said, quickly pulling her to the side.

"What's up?" Rory asked as Logan reached into his pocket and pulled a box out. "Wait, what is that?!"

"It's yours. We'll talk about it later. Right now, it's kind of a power play. Damn, that sounds really bad . . . I really don't mean for it to sound bad. But I think you having it on shows the board that we are serious. I wasn't planning to ask you like this. So I'll definitely do that at a later date. But you can keep it. I can get another one. I just . . . I don't want any push back. I love you, and I'm confidant that you are the right person for this job. And the right person for me."

"Logan, it's beautiful. Of course I'll wear it. You can have it back when we're done."

"We'll talk about it. I promise."

"Ok."

"I love you Rory." Logan said as he slipped the engagement ring he had bought Rory 9 years prior, onto her finger, where it had always belonged.

"I love you too." Rory smiled, giving Logan a quick kiss.

"You are going to be amazing! I am so glad we are doing this."

"I'm really nervous."

"I know. But you are going to do great! I've got your back, no matter what. But we've really gotta get in there. I'm the one who called the emergency meeting, and we're going to piss them off if we are too much later."

"Ok, let's go." Rory said taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly, then heading inside the HPG building.

5 minutes later, Logan, Rory and Doyle walked into the HPG boardroom, to see every board member sitting around the large table in the center of the room. They all looked up when the door opened, and several people looked shocked to see Logan walk in.

"Thank you all for being here on such short notice." Logan started as he moved to the front of the room. "There is a situation that you all need to be made aware of, but know that it is being handled, and everything will be fine."

"Where is Mitchum?" someone asked.

"That is exactly what I am here about. Last night, my father suffered a heart attack. He is currently inpatient at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, where I am a doctor. He is under the care of myself, and our cardiology team, and he is in great hands. Dad underwent bypass surgery last night, and is currently is stable condition, and expected to recover. However, he will be unable to work for a while. I have no plans to release him from my care until I am positive that he is fully recovered, and that coming back to work will not jeopardize his health. So, until that time, we will need to fill the void. To that extent, I would like to introduce you all to your new interim CEO, Rory Gilmore-Hayden. My father has always wanted HPG to stay in the family, and it will do so with Rory at the helm. I have known Rory since college where she was the editor of the Yale Daily News, and I am confidant that she will do a fantastic job. Rory is currently on leave as a a features writer and editor for the New York Times, and previously worked on the campaign trail with President Barack Obama. Rory knows the business just as well as I do, and will be stepping into my Dad's shoes while he is out. When Dad is ready to return to work, we will discuss Rory's future at that time, and where we see her being placed. But Rory is now the boss, effective immediately! I've already negotiated her salary at half of what my Dad gets from you, plus benefits starting today. I will have HR take care of all of her paperwork as soon as we finish with the meetings today. I will not be leaving my position with the hospital, but I have taken a brief leave of absence to help Rory and her assistant Doyle McMaster get settled in, and I will be in attendance at all board meetings, as well as any other meeting that I can manage with my schedule at the hospital. I know that several of you are going to have an opinion on this news, and frankly, I don't even care. This is happening, and anyone who has a problem with it can come talk to me in private. This is MY family's company, and as the family heir, I have every right to make any appointments that I want. So please keep in mind that should Rory, Doyle, or I receive any attitude or push back from any of you, I am more than happy to buy your shares, and you can go find another company to bully. Now, with all of that being said, does anybody have any questions?" Logan asked looking around the room, seeing a few hands raise. "Yes, Uncle John?"

"Rory here, wasn't she your college girlfriend?"

"We are in a relationship, yes. Next? Damon Dixon?"

"Is your father aware of what is happening?"

"He knows that I am handling everything, yes. I have his phone, and am fielding all of his calls until further notice. And don't any of you even think of trying to back stab me to him like I know several of you will try to do, because there is an approved visitor list at the hospital, and no one can get into the cardiac unit to see Dad without my permission, nor can you call. All communication will be going directly through myself, Rory and Doyle. Anyone who has a problem with that, can just resign right now. I will not allow any of you to jeopardize my father's health. You all know that I am more than capable of running this company, and that my father hoped to someday hand it over to me. However, I don't want it! I have my own career that I love, and that I have practically killed myself to build. But I have someone right here who I trust, and is just as capable of running this company, if not more so than I am. I don't care what garbage any of you might have heard in the past, but you will respect Rory, or you can see yourself to the door. This is NOT up for debate. Any other questions? . . . Maxwell?"

"You said Gilmore-Hayden . . . Who are they?"

"My parents are Lorelai Gilmore, daughter of Richard and Emily Gilmore, and Christopher Hayden, son of Strobe and Francine. All of them from Hartford, Connecticut." Rory spoke up.

"I knew Strobe. He was a good man." Maxwell said sternly.

"Thank you." Rory smiled. "It is nice to meet you all. I am excited to get started, and help move this company forward. This is my assistant Doyle McMaster, who was also the editor of the Yale Daily News before my reign, and has most recently been working for the Wall Street Journal before joining me here." Rory said gesturing to her side toward Doyle. "If there is anything that you need from me, please let me know. I am really friendly, and easy to get along with. I hope that you will all give me a chance to show you what I can do."

"Now if you will excuse us, we will be in Rory's new office so I can get her acclimated to everything my father has been doing before our editor meeting at 2:00. Thank you all for coming in today. We will meet again early next week. I will send out an email with our contact information this afternoon." Logan said, then turned and headed for the door with Rory and Doyle right behind him, holding the door for both of them to exit as Logan took one last look around the boardroom at all the surprised faces before exiting himself.

"That was fun." Doyle commented as they walked down a long hallway.

"Frankly, some of my family can be real assholes, so I had to let them know that I'm not messing around here, and I will cut them out." Logan said sternly. "Anyone who dares give you two any attitude can find themselves a new company. They're all a bunch of gold digging jerks anyway. Everyone is replaceable, and I won't hesitate to remove them.

"I kind of like asshole Logan." Rory smirked. "He's kind of hot!"

"Families can really suck sometimes." Doyle told them.

"Well the good news is that only the board is family members. There are a few who aren't, but most of them are my Dad's cousins and uncles. They can be a royal pain in the ass. No one else in the company is family, and most of them are much easier to deal with. But I'll be laying down the law at the editors meeting this afternoon too." Logan explained.

"So do I get my own office too?" Doyle asked.

"No, you are sharing with me. I don't want to be left alone." Rory told him. "This place scares the crap out of me!"

"I guess that works."

"You are basically Rory's bodyguard when I'm not here. Anything of importance or any attitude you get, I need to know about." Logan said as they stopped at the door to Mitchum's office. "This is your new home. Feel free to change whatever you want, Dad can just deal with it later."

"I need a coffee maker." Rory told him as they walked in the door.

"We'll have one delivered today. I'll also get you both a company computer and phone. Whatever you need, we will get, just let me know. I want to get you settled in as quickly as possible, and make things as easy for you as I can."

"Knock knock." a friendly voice said from the door.

"Hey Sandra, come on in." Logan said turning toward the door. "Sandra, this is Rory Gilmore, and her assistant Doyle McMaster. Dad had a heart attack last night, so they are stepping in to take his place while he recovers. Rory, Doyle, this is Sandra, Dad's secretary. She'll take care of anything you need."

"Hi, Rory, Doyle, it's nice to meet you. Logan, how are you doing? How is Mitchum?"

"He's stable and expected to fully recover. But it's going to be a while. I have Dad's phone, and I'll be picking up his computer and a few other things from his home office later today. All calls, emails, everything goes thru me. If anyone asks, there is a restriction on calls and visitors to the hospital. No one can get into the cardiac unit without my permission. Once I get Rory and Doyle up to speed, I'll be turning everything over to them, but all contact with my Dad must go through me. He won't be coming back to work for several months."

"Please give him my best and let him know that we are thinking about him and wish him a speedy recovery."

"I will. Question, who handles the company charge card account? I need to get new cards ordered."

"I believe Frank in accounting handles everything. Would you like me to message him?"

"Please. Have him come up here. It'll be easier to explain everything in person. Also, I need someone from HR to bring up new hire paperwork and I need security badges. Is Rodney still head of security?"

"Yes sir."

"Please ask him to come up as well. I'll be sending out an email detailing all the changes happening this afternoon. Please hold all calls unless it is an emergency. If any board members come up to whine about something, let me know. Is there a desk we can move in here for Doyle or should I just order one?"

"I am sure we have one somewhere in the building. I'll get something brought up right away."

"Please also send the head of IT and whoever handles the company phones."

"Phones are IT as well."

"Perfect! I'm ordering lunch to be delivered. Would you like anything?"

"No thank you, I'm ok. I'll let you know when your food arrives."

"Thanks Sandra!" Logan said as Sandra left the office. "What do we want for lunch?"

By 4pm, Logan, Rory, and Doyle were exhausted, but had accomplished a lot so they left the office for the day, Doyle heading home to his family, and Rory and Logan to the hospital to check on Mitchum and meet with his care team.

"It's been a long day, and we still need to go to Hartford." Logan said as he drove to the hospital.

"I need a nap!" Rory told him, yawning as she sat next to him in the car.

"Me too. I think I'll call a driver to meet us at the hospital. We can leave my car there. Do you want to spend the night in Hartford tonight and come back in the morning, or should we just drive back tonight?"

"Whatever you think is best. Getting some decent sleep tonight sounds good."

"We can get a hotel in Hartford, crash at my parents place, or whatever you want to do. Heck, we can stay with the Gilmores if you want to.

"Is anyone at your parents' house?"

"Other than the maids, no."

"Oh, that could be fun!"

"Defiling the Huntzberger mansion it is!" Logan laughed.

"Oh, here, you can have this back." Rory said as she started to remove the ring Logan had put on her hand that morning.

"No, keep it. It's yours."

"Logan . . ."

"I want to marry you Rory. I would marry you right now if I thought you were ready and you would say yes."

"What if I would say yes?" she asked, fiddling with the ring.

"Are you saying that you want to get married?" Logan asked looking over at Rory for a brief moment.

"I'm not saying that we have to get married right away."

"But you want me to ask you . . ."

"There are worse things that you could do . . . I mean, I am the current CEO of your family's company."

That you are." Logan chuckled reaching for Rory's hand, and bringing it to his mouth to gently kiss it as they pulled into the hospital parking garage.

"Is Honor meeting us here?"

"No. She was here with Mom earlier. Mom was being mom, so Honor is dropping her off at a spa."

"So in other words, Honor hired a babysitter for your mother." Rory laughed.

"Pretty much!"

"How annoyed do you think your Dad is going to be with me taking his place?" Rory asked nervously.

"I don't know. Part of me thinks he might expect it to happen someday. But at least if he blows, and it causes another heart attack, he's in the best place possible. I just need to grab my doctor stuff from my office before we go up." Logan said as he parked the car, and they headed toward the hospital doors. "Hey Frank, it's Logan Huntzberger. You still have a contract with HPG right?" Logan asked, placing a call to his old driver as they walked through the hospital doors. "Wonderful! Would you mind picking me up at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and driving me down to Hartford tonight, then back to the city sometime tomorrow morning? . . . You are a saint! Thank you so much Frank! Just let me know when you are ready. There's not rush . . . No problem, we'll see you soon." he said as he ended the call. "Frank said it would be about an hour. He'll text me when he gets here. I'm thinking we should start using Frank while you are working in the city. It'll make your life a lot easier."

"I'll think about it." Rory told him. "Do you think we can convince Frank to drive me thru Chic Fil-A when we leave the hospital?"

"I'm sure he would be happy to. Frank always loved you."

"Can you imagine what my mom and Grandparents are going to say when they hear that I am running HPG?"

"Actually, I was just thinking that maybe we should meet up with them when we get to Hartford tonight. I have a feeling there is about to be a media storm. Do you think your mom could meet us at Richard and Emily's around 8 or 9?"

"Probably. I'll call them right now." Rory said reaching into her purse to grab her phone, and hitting the speed dial number for her mom as they walked through the hospital, heading toward Logan's office in the Emergency Room department.

Ten minutes later Logan and Rory walked into Mitchum's room to see him watching the news.

"Hey Dad, how are you feeling?" Logan asked.

"Like I've been hit by a truck. Do you know where my phone is? Honor said you might have it."

"I do have it, and I am keeping it. There is no way that I am jeopardizing your recovery. I've been talking to your care team all day, so I know everything that is going on."

"Logan, I am not a child!" Mitchum told him.

"I never said that you were. But you had a heart attack Dad, and you just underwent a bypass. As your personal doctor, I am not releasing you to return to work until I am confidant that your work will not hinder your recovery. I have your phone, and as soon as Frank gets here, I will be heading down to Hartford to get your computer and a few things that we need from your home office. I have Rory taking over as Interim CEO, and I've hired our friend Doyle McMaster as a personal assistant. We already met with the board this morning, and the editors after lunch. Everyone knows what is going on, and that everything will be going through Rory and myself until your care team and I feel comfortable releasing you back to work. But that won't be for several months."

"Don't be ridiculous Logan. This is my business, not your personal play thing."

"And Rory and I will insure that the business is still running, and better than you left it, when you are ready to go back. We've got this Dad. You just need to trust me. We are only doing what is in your best interest."

"What did you tell the board? They couldn't have been thrilled."

"Uncle John, and Damon were definitely less than thrilled, but I told everyone that if they have a problem with it, they can take it up with me personally, and that I am more than happy to buy their shares, and they can go find a new company to play with."

"You sound like your father." Mitchum chuckled.

"Yeah, well, they needed to know that I won't be taking their crap. The editors were a lot more welcoming."

"A few of them already know Rory."

"And they were very happy to see her. They are excited for what she brings to the company." Logan said as Rory's phone rang.

"Excuse me, I need to take this." Rory said, then slipped out into the hall.

"Dad, I need to talk to you about something really quick before Rory comes back."

"What's going on? I noticed a ring on her finger."

"We aren't engaged yet. But I'm going to ask her tonight."

"Where did the ring on her finger come from?"

"That is the ring I bought her when I asked her to marry me back at Yale. I was going to use it ask again. I put it on her on our way into the office this morning as a power play. She already tried to give it back, but I told her to keep it. I bought it for her, and it is where it belongs. I'm not going to take it from her, just to give it right back."

"You want my mother's ring from the safe . . ." Mitchum concluded.

"If you wouldn't mind. Grandma did say she wanted me to give it to my wife someday."

"Your mother is going to flip."

"So you are fine with me taking it while I'm there tonight?"

"I'll expect a formal announcement within a week."

"I'll let mom throw a party when you are doing better."

"My mother would have liked Rory."

"Elias hated her."

"Elias hated everyone. Your mother included."

"That's true." Logan laughed as Rory walked back into the room.

"I'm sorry, that was my grandmother." Rory told them. "She said 9:00 is fine."

"We are meeting with Lorelai and the Gilmores tonight, to let them know about the shakeup at HPG. I have a feeling there will be a media storm hitting before morning." Logan explained.

"That is a good idea to get ahead of the storm." Mitchum agreed. "Family never likes to be blind sighted."

"We are staying at the house tonight. I am giving the staff time off until you and Mom return home. Honor is checking mom into a spa right now."

"She hired a babysitter." Mitchum smirked.

"Rory said the same thing."

"Great minds . . ." he smiled toward Rory.

"Can I get you anything Mitchum? Are you doing ok?"

"They won't give me any decent food."

"Can he have a smoothie?" Rory asked looking to Logan.

"I think that is probably ok, but let me ask just in case." Logan said moving over to the computer and logging in. "Hey Dad, would you mind hitting the call button for me?"

"Can I help you?" a voice asked over the intercom speaker.

"Hey It's Doctor Huntzberger. I'm here checking on my Dad. Is Doctor Levan still here today?"

"Only for a couple more hours, would you like me to page him for you?"

"Yes please!" Logan answered, then heard the intercom disconnect. "It looks like you are on a liquid diet for the next few days, but you should be able to have smoothies and soup."

"I have a great idea! We'll have to stop by the Dragonfly on our way back tomorrow." Rory said as she reached for her phone again.

"You're calling Sookie?" Logan asked.

"Of course! Best soup on the east coast!"

"You're in for a treat Dad!" Logan smiled. "The chef at the Dragonfly is absolutely amazing!"

"Maybe I'll have to offer a higher salary." Mitchum commented.

"She won't take it. Sookie is co-owner and would never walk away. She would be nice to you about it, but she would laugh later. You can probably get someone to deliver to you in Hartford, but that is as close to being a personal chef as Sookie will do." Rory told him. "Hi Sookie, it's Rory. I was hoping I could ask a favor of you . . ."

"Hi Honey! How are you? What's going on?" Sookie asked on the other end of the phone line.

"Logan's Dad is in the hospital. He had a heart attack last night."

"Oh no! Is he ok? How's Logan doing?"

"They are both doing well. Mitchum is on a liquid diet . . ."

"And hospital food sucks! How many kinds of soup would you like?"

"Whatever you would like to make. I'm coming to Hartford tonight, so I can stop by the Inn tomorrow, on my way back to the city."

"No problem Sweetie! I'll have a cooler ready for you. All you will need is a microwave."

"Thank you so much Sookie! We really appreciate it!"

No problem Honey. I'll see you tomorrow. Give Logan my love."

"Thank you, I will." Rory smiled, disconnecting the call. "Sookie sends her love."

"I am actually excited for Sookie's cooking." Logan told them. "It's been years since I've last had it."

"I'm thinking I need to text Luke to bring us something to Grandma's." Rory told him. "Mitchum, I'm going to go get you a smoothie from the cafeteria. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Thank you Rory." Mitchum said, watching as Rory left the room.

"She sure takes charge quickly, doesn't she?"

"That's Rory for you. You should have seen her in the Editors meeting today. You would have been proud. Rory was right in her element." Logan told him.

"Maybe if she does a good job, I will keep her on when I go back."

"I was thinking that instead of me taking over when you retire, you should give the company to Rory."

"We'll see." Mitchum told him. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves here."

"I don't want the company Dad. I have no plans to leave this hospital. I am doing a lot of good here. And having Rory take over for you keeps the business in the family, just like you've always wanted. Plus, she is way more qualified to run the company than I am. I think Rory is your best option. You'll see when we let you go back. But you are going to take your time to heal and recover properly. It will be several months before I will even think about possibly allowing you to go back, even part time."

"Doctor Huntzberger. It's nice to see you today." Doctor Levan said as he walked in the door. "Your Dad is doing very well today."

8pm that same evening, Logan walked thru his parents backyard, seeing Rory sitting by the pool.

"Maybe we should enjoy the hot tub while we are here tonight." Logan said stepping up behind her.

"This house is beautiful! I can't believe you grew up here."

"It wasn't so great for a little kid. I wasn't allowed to touch anything. But we did have a swingset over in the far end of the yard. Honor and I spent a lot of time out here."

"I always wanted my own swingset."

"We'll get one when we have kids. Come here, I want to show you something." Logan said reaching for Rory's hand, then leading her out through the yard. "This is my favorite part of this house. Really, the only part that I actually like. Honor and I used to hide out here during parties when we were little." he told her, as he lead her down a gravel path to a small gazebo, decked out in twinkling fairy lights, and surrounded by rose bushes.

"It looks magical!" Rory smiled, taking in the scene before her.

"Honor picked out all the flowers around the gazebo. She called it her magical retreat from Huntzberger life. She still escapes out here to get away from the insanity whenever she is in town.

"I can see why. It is absolutely gorgeous!" Rory said as she dropped Logan's hand and stepped into the gazebo. "Those flowers smell incredible! I can see why Honor loves it so much." she said turning around to look back toward Logan, just to see him kneeling in front of her holding out a small red velvet box. "Logan . . ."

"Rory Gilmore, you are the most amazing woman that I have ever known. You are beautiful, and smart, and incredibly dedicated to everything you set your mind to. You make me happier every day, than I ever thought possible. And I can't imagine living my life without you in it. Everything I am, is completely in love with you. Will you marry me?"

Rory gasped as Logan opened the small box revealing a beautiful ring that sparkled brilliantly in the twinkling gazebo lights.

"Yes! YES!" Rory cheered excitedly as Logan's smile grew exponentially. "I will marry you! A million times, yes!" Logan stood up, and pulled Rory into a passionate kiss, holding her as tightly against him as he possibly could, kissing her deeply until they were both completely out of breath.

"Where did you get this ring?" Rory asked as Logan gently slid it onto the ring finger on her right hand.

"It was my grandmother's. Before she died, she told me to give it to my bride someday. It has been in Dad's safe for years. The diamond I put on you earlier is still your official engagement ring. I didn't want to take it from you, just to give it right back. I bought that one specifically for you. This one is just a family ring. I think it was originally my great grandmother's.

"It's really pretty." Rory said as she admired the thin gold band with the ruby center stone surrounded by small diamonds. "I love how much it sparkles."

"What about this one?" Logan asked reaching for Rory's left hand, and fingering the diamond ring he had spent so much money on years before, and placed on Rory's finger earlier that morning.

"This one is my favorite! I can't believe you kept it all this time."

"Even when I thought about getting rid of it, I couldn't. It was always meant to be yours."

"I kind of feel like I got 2 engagements. One spur of the moment and one more planned out."

"I don't know about planned out." Logan chuckled. "I just decided to do it a few hours ago, after you told me it was what you wanted. I talked to my Dad while we were at the hospital, and asked him for grandma's ring"

"So he knows then . . ."

"He noticed the ring on your finger. I feel really bad for giving it to you the way I did. I almost feel like I tainted it."

"No, Logan. I know that had you known I would say yes, you would have already asked. Plus, you did ask. Back at Yale. I just wasn't ready then."

"Speaking of ready, we need to get going, or we will be late getting to your grandparents."

"I actually think being late is a good thing this time. You know that if Grandma finds out that we are engaged before Mom does, neither of us will ever live it down."

"Why don't you text your mom and find out when they will be there. We can purposely arrive right after them."

"I have an easier way to find out." Rory said pulling her phone out of her jacket pocket. "Location services will show me right where she is."

"I didn't even think about that."

"Mom and I keep location services turned on just in case of an emergency. She's already at Grandma's."

"Let's get going then." Logan smiled, holding his hand or to Rory. "We have lots of big news to share."


	12. Chapter 12

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I am currently re-reading everything that I have thus far, making edits and changes, and publishing each chapter as I go. I have quite a bit written so far, but I am also dealing with some writers block, so hopefully by re-reading and editing everything, I'll figure out where to go with this and get it finished. If anyone has any ideas of something they would like to see happen, please feel free to let me know.

* * *

15 minutes later

Gilmore Residence

Hartford, Connecticut

"Rory, Logan, come in come in!" Emily Gilmore said as she opened the door to see her Granddaughter and Logan. "We are so excited to hear your news! Let me take your coats, everyone is in the living room. Logan, how is your father? Lorelai tells us he is in the hospital."

"He is doing ok. We saw him a few hours ago." Logan said as they handed Emily their coats.

"Sorry Grandma, I have to keep my phone on me." Rory said handing Logan her purse,before taking off her jacket for Logan to give to Emily, then taking her purse back. "Work problems. It's all part of the news."

"Not a problem. You have a very demanding job."

"You have no idea." Rory chuckled as they headed for the living room. "Hey everyone! Thank you all for coming on such short notice. There is so much that we need to tell you, and we thought it was best to just have everyone together, so we could do it all at once, and not have to have the same conversation several times."

"Plus, things may be getting pretty crazy very soon." Logan added.

"Logan, how is your Dad?" Lorelai asked.

"He's doing well. He had a heart attack last night, and went into emergency surgery."

"Oh my gosh!" Emily gasped.

"Doctor Levan and his team performed a bypass, and he is expected to make a full recovery. But it'll be a long road.

"Hey Rory, what is that?" Lorelai asked all of a sudden.

"What is what?" Rory asked innocently.

"That, right there on your hand."

"I got my cast off this morning. I still have limited movement, but Logan promises me I'll be back to normal soon."

"Other hand. What is that?"

"That," Logan started. "Is another piece of news. I asked Rory to marry me tonight."

"What!?" Loreali and Emily shreaked together, as everyone jumped out of their seats to hug Rory.

"I somehow knew it!" Lorelai said as the women hugged.

"Actually, this literally just happened. It wasn't part of the news when I called you." Rory told her.

"Oh really?! So then there is some even bigger news coming.? You aren't pregnant are you?"

"No, nothing like that." Logan laughed as Richard hugged him, and Luke patted him on the shoulder.

"Welcome to the family son!" Richard said happily as he reached for Rory. "Rory, we are so thrilled for you! Congratulations Sweetheart!"

"Congratulations you guys. Wonderful news!" Luke said hugging Rory.

"Is that the same ring?" Lorelai asked.

"It is. I thought about getting rid of it several times, and getting a new one, but I just couldn't. It was always meant to be Rory's." Logan told them.

"But then he gave me this too." Rory said holding out her other hand.

"It was my grandmother's. Before she passed, she told me to give it to my bride someday."

"Oh Logan, that is exquisite!" Emily gushed looking at the second ring.

"I think it may have first belonged to my great grandmother. When my Dad is feeling better, I'll ask him for the full story behind the ring. And I told him at that point, I'll let mom throw a party. I'm sorry Emily, but we just can't have a party while my Dad is recovering from major surgery. I know that is something that you really love to do, and would normally jump on right away."

"No Logan, I totally understand. Your father's health is way more important than a party. We will celebrate as a family, but I will definitely help your Mother with a big engagement party later on."

"Also, you four are the very first people to know. We haven't even told Logan's family yet." Rory told them.

"Dad knew I was going to ask her tonight. I told him when I asked for the ring, while we were at the hospital. I actually hadn't planned to ask Rory so soon since we just got back together pretty recently. But after everything that has happened in the last 24 hours, it just made sense." Logan said as they all sat back down again. "Which brings us to the rest of the news. And this is A LOT to take in. It's not something that either of us ever even considered a possibility. But things happen, and the opportunity presented itself."

"Sounds ominous." Luke commented.

"That's an understatement." Rory chuckled. "It's not a bad thing by any means, but it's something that no one in this room would have seen coming."

"What's going on?" Richard asked.

"We all know how serious heart attacks are, and what a long road recovery can be." Logan told them. "Being a doctor myself, I am taking a special interest in my Dad's recovery. We all know how hard he works, and how stressful that job can be. My Dad won't be going back to work for several months. My personal preference would be at least 6 months. Which in the newspaper business is several lifetimes. Now we all know that it was always my family's dynastic plan, for me to take over HPG when my Dad eventually retires. However, we also know that I don't want it! I left that life about ten years ago. It isn't at all the life that I want. I left, and I went to medical school. And now I have an amazing life that I love. I have been working at Columbia Presbyterian for the last 4 years, and I help so many people, every single day. My job means so much to me, and I have no intention to ever give it up. But now that my dad is out of commission, and as fortunate or unfortunate as it is, I am still the heir to the Huntzberger dynasty, and it unfortunately falls on me to figure out a game plan."

"That is a ton of responsibility!" Emily agreed.

"Is there anything that we can do to help you?" Richard asked.

"There actually is." Rory told him.

"I needed to quickly find someone to step into my Dad's position before the board found out what is going on, and made plans to permanently replace him. I had to move quickly, and I needed someone that I can not only fully trust to take over for my Dad and run the company, but I also needed someone with newspaper publishing experience . . . Something clicked in my head last night, and all of a sudden, everything completely made sense. My Dad has always talked about how he wants to keep HPG in the immediate family, and would rather die than let any of his uncles or cousins taker over. However, I have zero interest in going back to that company for anything other than to help train someone to take my Dad's place. There was only one name that came to my head. I know one specific person who knows the business, has a ton of experience both inside and outside of HPG, and who I can trust with my life . . . I asked Rory to step in." Logan told them as he reached over and took her hand in his, squeezing it tight. "It is such an amazing opportunity for her! Normally, I never in a billion years, would have ever asked Rory to join my family's company. It isn't even something that I want for myself, so there was no way that I would ever inflict that kind of nightmare onto her. But at the same time, there is no one better. Taking on the role of CEO is literally a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it will look amazing on Rory's resume. I know that it is a gigantic undertaking, so I asked Rory to take an extended leave of absence from the New York Times, and temporarily take over for my Dad. I gave her an amazing salary that she more than deserves, and benefits that started today. I also hired her a personal assistant of her choosing. The way I see it, by taking this job, when my Dad is eventually ready to come back, Rory will be able to go anywhere in the world, to any media company in the world, and take on literally the most prestigious of positions, and they will be handed to her because she has the words Huntzberger Publishing Group; Interim Chief Executive Officer on her resume. This position will open so many doors to Rory. She can even choose to stay on with HPG after my Dad goes back, if that is what she wants. This opportunity literally hands Rory the world on a silver platter, which has always been my mission when it comes to her. Rory has worked so hard to get to where she is, and she more than deserves this opportunity. So I gave her the option, and Rory took it. So as of today, she is officially the interim CEO of the Huntzberger Publishing Group."

"Wow!" Loreali breathed looking at her daughter and Logan. "That is a HUGE responsibility!"

"Rory, Congratulations!" Richard said leaving his seat, and moving to stand in front of his granddaughter. "This is HUGE! I am so proud of you! You definitely deserve this! And I will do whatever I can to help you. You just let me know what you need."

"Thank you Grandpa!" Rory said getting up and hugging her grandfather. "I've never run a business before, and I could definitely benefit from all your knowledge and experience."

"You just tell me where to be, and I will be by your side whenever you need me."

"Thank you, that means so much to me!

"Rory, we are all so proud of you!" Luke told her.

"Thank you Luke."

"I completely forgot to tell you, your burgers are in the kitchen. We will just need to heat up your patties.

"You are amazing! Thank you! I am so hungry!"

"Why don't we all move into the kitchen." Emily offered. "Your mom and Luke brought you two dinner, and dessert for the rest of us. We should get you fed before it gets any later."

"Yes, that is a great idea!" Lorelai agreed. "We need to celebrate Rory, and there is no better way to do that than with Luke's cherry pie, and ice cream."

"You brought Cherry pie?!" Rory asked.

"I know it's your favorite." Luke told her as they all got up and followed Emily toward the kitchen.

"Rory, who did you hire to be your assistant?" Lorelai asked as they sat down at the kitchen island.

"Well, my first thought was actually to bribe you to help me. But knew that you have a lot going on, and I can't ask you to leave the Inn. So then I thought Michel."

"Oh geez, I can't even imagine him working for HPG." Lorelai laughed.

"Right?! So my next thought was Paris. She would be perfect!"

"Perfectly terrifying!"

"Exactly! But it would be amazing! Paris knows how to get things done, and doesn't take crap from anyone!"

"That is very true."

"But she is busy with her medical career, and would never leave. So we hired Doyle."

"Solid choice! Someone already in the business!"

"Exactly! And Doyle and I work great together. Logan offered Doyle a salary that he couldn't refuse, and working for HPG will benefit him exactly the same way that it benefits me. It's a win no matter how you look at it."

"It sounds like a lot of work for you." Emily said, joining the conversation.

"It is. And I am going to need the help of every person in this room. I have no idea how to run a business, the way that the rest of you guys do. I am going to need functions planned and executed, I'll have to go to financial planning meetings, and I know nothing about any of that stuff, so Grandpa, if you could help me with those, I would really appreciate it."

"Just give me the dates and times, and I will make it work."

"I'll need help with travel, and I'm sure all kinds of other stuff. I literally am in way over my head, but I know that with the right help, I can do this. It's an amazing opportunity, and I would be crazy to not take it."

"The other thing I need to prepare you all for, is the onslaught of attention that is about to happen. I am used to it. I grew up with this life. But none of you did, and you don't deserve the world media camped outside of your houses, asking you what Rory is doing, or trying to dig up dirt in your personal lives. The media is unfair and can be completely relentless. I have no idea what is going to happen. For all I know, they could only go after Rory and I. But they could also go after the whole of Stars Hollow. There is no way for me to predict how things will go down. But I will offer you this. If you want me to, I will hire you each a security team. I don't want this to disrupt your lives, or your businesses. So please, whatever I can do to help you guys, please let me know." Logan told them. "I have taken a brief leave of absence from the hospital to help Rory and Doyle get settled in. I will be with them for the next two weeks, unless there is an emergency, and I need to be at the hospital. But as of right now, seeing as how this all just went down today, I have a feeling that as soon as word gets out that there is a shake up going on, the media is going to go crazy! Especially with the engagement."

"Speaking of which . . ." Rory started. "We need to let the important people know about the engagement before they find out from someone else."

"Text message party!" Lorelai laughed. "I need a picture."

"That is a really good idea!" Emily agreed.

"Ok you two, look cute. Act like you love each other, or something." Lorelai said grabbing her phone.

"I have an idea. Come with me, outside by the fountain. It'll look romantic."

"That is a great idea, Mom!" Lorelai said as the women and Logan got up and headed outside.

Ten minutes they were all back inside, texting out an engagement announcement to all the people they were closest to, who they didn't want getting the news elsewhere.

"Rory, do you mind if I book you professional engagement photos?" Emily asked.

"Sure Grandma, that would be great!"

"I will get you guys a list of dates and times to choose from. Any thoughts as to when you want to get married?"

"Definitely not right away." Rory told her.

"We have a lot going on right now."

"Mom, I know you are really excited to help plan a wedding, but let's take a step back and let Rory and Logan have some space to get things settled. I'm sure they will pick a date when they are ready." Lorelai told her as everyone's phones began pinging with notifications in response to the text messages that they had been sending out.

* * *

The next morning Rory and Logan woke up to their phones ringing like crazy. The ringing had started as early as 6am, but they were so exhausted that they had decided to silence the phones, and sleep until their alarms went off at 8:00, at which point Rory reluctantly reached for her phone, and accepted the call that was currently coming in from Doyle.

"Hey, what is going on? Our phones have been going crazy since 6am! We had to turn them off so we could sleep." Rory told him.

"Mine has been going insane too. I am taking messages right and left. We need to talk about what you guys want me to do. Apparently someone leaked your engagement and Mitchum's heart attack to the press, and now people are saying that your engagement caused the heart attack. I actually laughed the first time I heard it."

"Hold on a second, I'm putting you on speaker . . . Logan, wake up . . ." Rory said laughing and shaking Logan to rouse him.

"How are you guys still asleep?" Doyle asked.

"We had a REALLY long night. After we left the office we had to go check on Mitchum at the hospital, and then drive down to Hartford to get stuff from his home office, and while we were there the engagement happened, and we of course had to stop by my grandparents' house to tell them about everything that was going on. Logan had a feeling that something was coming, and we wanted to let our family know before they heard it elsewhere."

"What time did you guys get back?"

"We're still in Hartford. We're at the Huntzberger mansion."

"I hate to say this, but it might be a good idea to stay there for a couple days. Lay low until things calm down."

"What's going on?" Logan asked as Rory continued shaking him. "Who are you talking to?"

"It's Doyle, he told me the funniest thing. Apparently someone told the press that your dad had a heart attack, and then news of our engagement hit, and now they're saying that we caused the heart attack."

"I don't know how that would even be possible considering that they happened 24 hours apart, and my Dad gave us permission last night when I asked for my grandmother's ring." Logan said with a yawn.

"Doyle thinks it might be a good idea for us to stay here and hide out for a few days, until things blow over."

"How bad is it?"

"I don't know, I haven't turned on the business phones yet." Rory told him.

"You might not want to." Doyle told them. "I'm rejecting calls like crazy while I'm sitting here talking to you."

"How did people even get our numbers? These phones were just activated yesterday!"

"Probably from the website or from Sandra. Either that, or someone at the office has a HUGE mouth! Although considering that the board is mostly my distant family, I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of them that gave it out. Which means, we probably don't want to look outside right now."

"Why?" Doyle and Rory asked at the same time.

"Hand me the phone." Logan said getting out of bed. "Doyle, I'm switching you to facetime."

"What are you doing?" Rory asked as Logan walked across the room.

"I'm looking outside to see the madness that is probably outside the security gate."

"They would come here?"

"It wouldn't be the first time, and definitely won't be the last." Logan told her as Rory climbed out of bed and followed him to the window. "Don't open the door. Just peek thru the curtains. If you open anything, they can see you."

"OH MY GOSH!" Rory gasped seeing a huge group of people, and media trucks outside the security gate. "Doyle, are you seeing this?!"

"Wow!" Doyle said shocked.

"I've seen worse." Logan told them nonchalantly.

"You're serious?" Rory asked.

"Doyle, turn your tv on to any news channel." Logan said as he moved back across the room toward the cabinet that houses the tv.

"Cnn has a ticker, fox news has a live feed, good morning america has a ticker . . ." Doyle began to rattle off as he sat changing channels. "Wow! You guys are popular today!"

"Well, apparently we tried to kill my dad." Logan laughed.

"Logan, what about the hospital?" Rory suddenly asked him.

"Oh crap! Hand me my phone. They're probably trying to call to ask me what the hell is going on. They can handle it on their own, but being an employee, they'll want answers."

"I don't know how you guys were sleeping through this." Doyle told them.

"We turned our phones off at 6. Only our personal phones were kept on, but they were silenced. We didn't get to bed until after 1am." Rory said as Logan handed her back her phone. "Doyle, I'm taking you back off facetime, so I can check my messages while we are talking to you." Rory told him.

"Logan, what should we do about this? I'm not good at PR stuff." Doyle asked.

"HPG and the Hospital both have PR departments. I think we need to get all of them together for a meeting, so we can all get on the same page.

"I think we need to involve Grandpa and my Dad too." Rory told him.

"Doyle, will you set up a press conference for this afternoon?" Logan asked. "We have a few calls to make, but get contact info, and we'll send out a statement with information as soon as I get it." Logan told him.

"Do you want it here in the city, or in Hartford?" Doyle asked.

"Logan, are we even going to be able to get out of here?" Rory asked.

"This is why we have a chopper." Logan told her.

"But we can't get out of the house?"

"There is a helipad in the far corner of the backyard. Like I said before, I've done this before. We can go right from here to the HPG roof."

"What about Frank? And your Dad's soup?"

"I will have Frank stop by the Dragonfly to get the soup from Sookie. And he can pick up your mom and Grandfather too, if that's what you want. Or they can come here?"

"How would they even get inside?"

"Again, I'll have Frank pick them up. He can bring them right to the door. Doyle, get the meeting set up for some time after lunch. We'll send out a statement as soon as we have details." Logan told him.

"Should I head into the office? I'm still at home."

"Whatever you want to do. You don't need to be there until the meeting, unless you want to be."

"Logan, have I told you that you are a totally cool boss?!"

"Give it time, I can be a total asshole too." Logan laughed.

"Let me know the details when you get them."

"Welcome to HPG!" Logan laughed as they hung up. "Call your Granpa, and then Sookie. Let's try for 2pm. I'm going to call for the chopper to be here at noon. That way, if your mom and grandparents want to come, we can have Frank get them here in time."

"Are things always going to be like this?" Rory asked.

"No. They'll blow over in a few days. The good news is that today is Thursday. That gives some crazy celebrity the whole weekend to do something idiotic, and get the spotlight off of us. I'm sure one of the Kardashians will do something dumb before Saturday night. Maybe even several of them. Life will go back to normal soon."

"This is REALLY overwhelming!"

"I know. But I promise you, it'll be ok. Let's make our calls, and then I know of something we can do that will help distract you, and get you feeling all better." Logan said giving Rory a quick kiss, then moving across the room to his desk to power his laptop up, and make his calls.

"Rory! Are you ok? How insane is it over there?!" Richard's voice boomed through the phone, as he picked up on the very first ring.

"Logan is calling a meeting with the PR teams. We are taking a chopper from the Huntzbergers to the city. Can you come?"

"I've already cleared my schedule for you. Your grandmother has a DAR event this afternoon, so it'll be just me."

"Can we have Frank pick you up and bring you here before noon?"

"If you want to, or I can drive myself over. I really don't mind."

"There is some craziness going on outside the gate. You'll have a hard time getting through.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head. This isn't my first rendezvous. Is 11:00 ok for you?"

"That would be great! Thank you Grandpa! I owe you one!"

"You owe me nothing. Should I pick up Lorelai?"

"I can send Frank. She is my next call."

"Give Frank the morning off. I have a feeling you'll be needing him later. Tell Lorelai I will pick her up at the Inn before 10:30."

"Thank you Grandpa! You are amazing!"

"I do my best. Hang in there Sweetheart. We'll handle this. Everything is going to be ok."

"Hey Grandpa? Would you mind coming a little bit earlier? I just realized that I don't have any suitable clothes here. I'm going ask mom to bring me some."

"No problem. It's 8:30 now, so let's try for 10:30? Or would 10 work for you?"

"11 might still work, but 10:30 I think might be best. That'll give mom just over an hour to throw an outfit and stuff together for me, and then come here and help me get ready."

"Tell Lorelai I'll be there by 10. I'll see you soon Honey." Richard said disconnecting their call.

"Logan, Grandpa will be here with mom at 10:30. I'm having mom bring me clothes." Rory said seeing Logan nod his head and give her a thumbs up as he talked on the phone.

"Lorelai's house of horrors!" Lorelai answered her phone.

"It's bad there too?" Rory asked in a defeated voice.

"No, not at all. I've gotten a few calls, but things are fine here. But I've heard that your life is kind of a nightmare right now."

"I need clothes! And make up. Oh, and my mommy!"

"Oh Honey . . . I'm so sorry!"

"Can Grandpa pick you up at ten? He said he'll meet you at the Dragonfly."

"I think I can do that."

"We are all taking a chopper to New York. Logan is setting up a PR meeting so we can all deal with this head on."

"That is actually a really good idea."

"I asked Sookie yesterday if she would make Mitchum some soup."

"I heard. I'll bring it with me. What kind of clothes do you need?"

"People are saying that the engagement caused the heart attack."

"Because they happened on the same day, and Mitchum had no idea about it." Lorelai told her.

"Logan said the exact same thing."

"Well, you know what they say about great minds." Lorelai smiled. "So you need an outfit that says 'I did not kill my father in-law' and some large dark glasses?"

"Pretty much!"

"I'll take care of it."

"Thank you Mom! I owe you!"

"I know you do, and I'm keeping track. Someday I will collect on all of the different ways that you owe me, starting with those awful 9 months of pregnancy, and 19 hours of labor!"

"I'm looking forward to it." Rory laughed.

"Honey, have you called your Dad yet?"

"He's my next call. I would have called you first, but I figured Grandpa needed more time to clear his schedule."

"I actually talked to him when he called at 6."

"Damn! That's the time our phones started blowing up, and we turned them off so we could sleep until 8."

"I figured that's what you did when I got your voicemail earlier. I knew you would eventually call, so I wasn't going to start with the stalking until at more reasonable hour."

"You know me well."

"We were all up pretty late last night. It's been an eventful few days."

"That's for sure!"

"Do you need breakfast?"

"That would be great actually."

"Sweetie, you go call your Dad, and I'll find you something to wear, and get all your food together."

"Thank you Mom! Our meeting in the city is at 2, and I have no idea how long it'll take, or what will happen from there."

"I can always come back with Grandpa, but I'll pack for a couple of days."

"You're the best!"

"Yeah well, it just means you'll have to keep trying to elevate yourself if you ever want to finally achieve my greatness."

"I love you Mom!"

"I love you too kid. I'll see you soon." Lorelai told her, then disconnected their call.

"Why if it isn't my celebrity daughter!" Christopher said answering his phone as soon as it rang.

"Hey Dad! Are you busy today?"

"Not at the moment. I am actually just waiting for you to tell me where to be, and when I should show up. I already cleared my schedule. Your Grandpa called a few hours ago."

"2pm, Huntzberger Publishing Group Offices in Manhattan."

"I'll be there! I saw the news, it looks like you are being stalked."

"We are in Hartford at the Huntzberger Mansion."

"Ouch! Well, the good news is that no one knows that you are officially there. It looks like there is a crew outside of yours and Logan's apartment too."

"Are you serious?!"

"I guess you haven't seen TMZ yet."

"Logan, there are cameras outside of our apartments!" Rory said seeing Logan get up from his desk, setting his phone down next to his computer.

"I'm not surprised. The hospital is a war zone. Who are you talking to?"

"It's my Dad."

"Put him on speaker."

"Dad, you're going on speaker." Rory said hitting the button, then handing Logan the phone.

"Hey Chris, I am so sorry about all of this!"

"Hey son! Should I be fearing for my life? Rumor has it you are trying to kill your Dad via heart attack."

"I can't believe people are seriously saying that." Logan laughed. "The two things happened 24 hours apart, and Dad knew the engagement was happening when I asked for my grandma's ring last night."

"Maybe I should bring a bodyguard and a food tester with me today, just in case you decide to try other avenues."

"Maybe you should just wear body armor." Logan told him.

"Hey, that's a great idea! I wonder where I can buy tactical gear this early in the morning."

"I wouldn't know, but I have a friend who might."

"I'll have to remember that for future reference." Christopher laughed. "How is your Dad doing? You slip him some cyanide yet?"

"Not yet. Maybe later today. Crap, Rory, will you grab my phone and text honor to meet us at the office at 1. Find out if she's bringing mom, or if she is still with the sitter."

"You hired a babysitter for your mother?"

"Crazy woman sprained her ankle on the stairs at an event with Dad the other night, before he had the heart attack. I sent her home with my sister, but of course Mom was driving Honor crazy, so Honor took her to a spa."

"Nice! Babysitter for the rich and whiney!"

"Exactly!" Logan laughed. "I am really hoping she is still there, and completely oblivious to everything that is going on. My mother is the last person that I need to deal with right now."

"Honor says she will be there and mom is at the spa." Rory told them. "And it looks like the circus is in town at her house too."

"Tell her I am so sorry." Logan said with a sigh. "I honestly don't know why people give a damn about what I do in my personal life. I'm just an ER doctor."

"With a multi million dollar trust fund." Christopher reminded him.

"Not anymore! I blew through that years ago."

"You don't think your dad replenished it?"

"Honor paid for me to go to medical school."

"So I guess I'm paying for the wedding then." Christopher said with a chuckle.

"No Dad." Rory told him. "We will pay for that ourselves. Besides, we aren't getting married right away anyway. Plus, Logan gave me a giant salary for being CEO of HPG."

"Wait, WHAT?! That is true?!"

"I didn't want it, and someone needed to take the job." Logan laughed.

"So you suckered my daughter into running your family's company?"

"It's only temporary Dad. I'm sorry, I should have called you when we were at Grandma's last night." Rory apologized.

"It's a long story. We'll explain at the meeting." Logan told him.

"Speaking of which. I need to get on the road. I'll see you guys soon, ok?"

"Thanks Dad. Drive safe!"

"I will. I love you kiddo!"

"I love you too." Rory said as the call was disconnected. "Logan, have you called Collin and Finn lately?"

"Oh crap! I texted them last night, but otherwise I haven't talked to them. I'll call Collin right now. Why do you ask?"

"Because that guy right there on the tv . . . That looks like Finn. With Rocky!"

"I'm calling him right now." Logan said as he quickly dialed his phone.

"Oh my gosh, it is him. Look at him searching for his phone." Rory laughed watching their friend standing next to a group of reporters outside Logan's apartment building.

"You Bloody Wanker!" Finn said loudly, answering his phone.

"Thanks for taking Rocky." Logan said with a laugh.

"Wait, how did you know?" Finn asked.

"You're on tv." Rory told him.

"Are you spying on me?!"

"Maybe."

"Hey Brother, do you mind if I have some fun out here?"

"Sure Finn, be my guest." Logan told him. "I'm going to enjoy watching this!"

"Attention all you media people!" Finn yelled, causing several reporters and camera people to turn and focus on him. "The person you are all looking for isn't even here! Logan Huntzberger isn't even in the state right now! You aren't going to be getting any shots of him coming out of this building here, because he isn't anywhere even close to here!"

"Finn, do NOT tell them where we are! There are more than enough crazies outside my parents' house right now. I really don't need anymore." Logan told him.

"No worries, I've got you." Finn said with a chuckle. "Mr. Huntzberger says to tell you all Aloha, and he wishes you all a spectacular day!"

"So he is in Hawaii then?" a reporter asked.

"Have a great flight!" Finn winked, then headed down the street with Rocky.

"Nice work Finn!" Rory laughed. "Do you think it will actually work?"

"No idea! But it couldn't hurt." Logan told her.

"1pm at HPG Finn. Take good care of Rocky for me."

"No problem Mate! I'm taking him to Stephanie right now."

"Oh good! That saves me a phone call." Logan sighed with relief. "Bring Collin to HPG with you."

"Will do. I'll see you soon." Finn said, then ended the call.

"TMZ sure is fun." Rory laughed as she stood watching the tmz feed on the tv.

"Let's turn this off, and ignore the crazy for a while." Logan said, reaching for the remote, and flipping off the tv. "We have a completely empty house, and about an hour to kill before your mom and grandpa get here. No more phones, no more crazy. Just us."

"Ooohhh, this sounds like it could be fun . . ." Rory squealed as Logan pulled her into his arms.

"I'm thinking a steamy shower might be just what you need to help you relax."

"I do like that idea . . ." Rory said flirtatiously as Logan slowly kissed her neck.

"There is also a giant jetted tub."

"Lead the way Huntzberger!"

* * *

If anyone has any ideas of something they would like to see happen, please feel free to let me know. Drop a review if you'd like!


	13. Chapter 13

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I am currently re-reading everything that I have thus far, making edits and changes, and publishing each chapter as I go. I have quite a bit written so far, but I am also dealing with some writers block, so hopefully by re-reading and editing everything, I'll figure out where to go with this and get it finished. If anyone has any ideas of something they would like to see happen, please feel free to let me know.

* * *

10:30am

Huntzberger Mansion

Hartford, Connecticut

"Wow, you weren't joking!" Lorelai said as Richard pulled up to the gate of the Huntzberger estate.

"The gate should be opening." Logan told her as he pushed a button in the foyer.

"No one is going to follow us in, right?"

"They should know better than to set foot onto private property. Anyone who comes through the gate can and will be arrested. Go to the garage on the left. I am opening the door right now. Just pull right in. Don't open your doors until the garage door is secure."

"Wow, you are a professional!"

"Not my first rodeo. We only use this garage for situations like this. The regular garage is around the corner. I'm on my way to you." Logan said as he hung up the phone, while walking down a long hallway, then turning a corner, and opening the door to the garage. "Welcome to the bunker!"

"This is impressive!" Richard said looking around at the black walls of the empty garage.

"Dad had it made as impossible as he could for outsiders to get any kind of view. It is literally pitch black without the light on. The light stays off when the outside door is open, and only comes on once it is secured in place. It guarantees zero visuals of anything other than the car that entered."

"I didn't even know there was a garage here until I saw the wall move."

"That is the best part." Logan told him.

"It's like Fort Knox!" Lorelai told them as she pulled some bags out of the car, and Richard grabbed a box from the trunk.

"Lorelai, you've never been here, have you?"

"Not that I know of. But I've heard it's gorgeous."

"Mom and Dad normally have a staff here, but I sent them all home yesterday, until further notice."

"We should throw a rager!"

"It wouldn't be the first time I've done that." Logan laughed.

"Sounds like this place has seen some action." Richard chuckled.

"You can definitely say that." Logan agreed. "Come on inside. Rory is in the kitchen."

"Wow! This place has a kitchen too!?" Lorelai said in a fascinated childish voice.

"Yeah, we just got one! It cost us a fortune to have it invented!" Logan said as he lead them into the house to where Rory was waiting.

"Hey Mom! Hey Grandpa! Thank you so much for coming!"

"Now this is NOT what I expected a CEO of a multi national company to look like!" Lorelai said shocked. "Over sized clearly worn out clothing, barefoot, wet hair and zero makeup. Wow! You must have gone completely bankrupt!"

"No, just waiting for my glam squad."

"Well wait no longer, because I have arrived! Mommy to the rescue!" Where do you want to get glammed up?"

"Honor's room has the best lighting." Logan told them. "And she won't mind if you steal anything."

"Let's go!" Rory told her getting up from the stool where she had been drinking coffee at the bar. "Logan, I can take my coffee, right?"

"Who is going to stop you? Lorelai, Richard, would you like some?"

"I actually have some right here." Lorelai said pulling a large metal thermos out of the box that Richard had set down on the counter. "I also have donuts and pastries from both Luke's, Weston's and the Dragonfly."

"Oh hell to the yes!" Rory cheered. "You are the BEST Mommy in the universe!"

"Luke also sent pancakes, eggs, hash browns and bacon." Lorelai said holding up a large insulated bag."

"Here are some plates." Logan said opening a cabinet.

"Um, who is washing those?" Lorelai asked. "I have paper."

"You come prepared!"

"I just figure we won't be here too long, and none of us wants to be doing dishes."

"Good point!" Logan said as Rory and Lorelai quickly dug into the food, then took their plates, thermos of coffee, and a couple of the bags that Lorelai had brought in with them, and headed for Honor's bedroom.

"Wow! This house is amazing!" Lorelai said as she followed Rory.

"And it keeps on getting bigger. I've been here since last night, and I still haven't seen all of it."

"Are you guys going to hide out here for a while? Because it seems like a pretty nice resort to me."

"I know, right?! You should see outside. When we head to the helicopter pad out back, I'll show you where Logan proposed last night. It was gorgeous!"

"I can't wait!"

"So what did you bring me to wear?"

"Oh, just some skanky lingerie, fishnets, and lucite hooker heals."

"Very nice! Completely appropriate!"

"I thought so too! Shira calls you a gold digger for a reason, right?!"

"Might as well give her validation!" Rory laughed as they walked into Honor's bedroom and saw the sitting area with a beautiful lighted vanity, and dressing area off to the side with angled panel mirrors.

"Wow! Talk about a bedroom fit for a princess!" Lorelai gasped as they entered the room, and found somewhere to set their things down.

"Holy crap! I could live in here!"

"This is like my dream closet! Lorelai said walking around."

"And I thought Logan's bedroom across the hall was a luxury hotel!"

"This is the first time you've been in here?"

"Last night was the first time I had been anywhere outside the living and dining rooms."

"This place is insane! You could move a family of 6 into this house, and never see them again."

"Right?!" Rory agreed.

"This place makes my parents' house look like a shack!"

"For real! Now come on, we can be nosey later. We need to get me ready because right now I look a lot more like a homeless bum, than a CEO."

"Which is exactly why I brought you this!" Lorelai said unzipping a garment back and revealing a simple black Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany's style tea length dress.

"Wow! That is perfect! I love it! But where in the world did you find it?!"

"I actually saw it in a store a few weeks ago, and they only had it in your size, so I bought it for you with the intention of giving it to you for Christmas, but today just seemed like the perfect time for you to wear it. I've had it hanging in the back of my closet, just waiting for you."

"Mom, you are incredible! Thank you so much!"

"The heals are mine, and I'll eventually need them back, but you can borrow them for a while. I don't wear them very often."

"I feel like Cinderella already." Rory gushed.

"Just remember that no matter what anyone else says, you deserve this! And I am so proud of you!"

"Thank you Mommy! You know that I wouldn't be who I am, without you."

"You can thank me in your Nobel Prize speech. Now come sit. You need to eat while I do your hair. It's going to be a really long day, and you are going to need all the strength and energy you can possibly muster to get through it." Lorelai said getting Rory situated at the vanity.

"Do you really think that I can do this Mom?"

"I really do. You can do anything that you set your mind do. And it looks like Logan is going out of his way to set you up for success."

"He is absolutely amazing Mom! I am so happy!"

"I know you are. It's written all over your face."

45 minutes later there was a knock at the bedroom door.

"Come on in!" Lorelai called.

"Hey, you guys almost ready?" Logan asked as he entered the room.

"We just finished. I present to you, the new CEO of the Huntzberger Publishing Group, your fiance, Rory!" she said as Rory walked out of Honor's bathroom.

"Wow!" Logan voiced, his mouth dropping open.

"She looks incredible, doesn't she?!"

"I . . . I don't know what to say . . ." Logan stammered.

"You really think I look ok? It isn't too much?" Rory asked shyly.

"Absolutely not! You look like Audrey Hepburn, but with better hair." Logan said admiring the loose curls that gently cascaded over one shoulder.

"That is exactly what I was going for." Lorelai told him.

"If I wasn't completely in love with you already, this would have tipped me over the edge." Logan said moving toward Rory, and pulling her into his arms. "You look absolutely amazing! I can't wait to show you off!"

"Are you sure? Because if it's too much, I can change into something else." Rory told him.

"Don't you dare!" Logan said giving her a chaste kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Come here. I know the perfect accessories to go with that dress." Logan said taking Rory's hand and escorting her to Honor's walk in closet.

"Oh holy moly!" Lorelai said following them in. "Can I just die and go right to heaven?! It's like a freaking designer mecca in here!"

"If you see something you like, grab it. Honor rarely uses any of this stuff anymore. Whenever her closet gets too full at her house, whatever she doesn't want to get rid of, she brings here. She lets close friends shop here all time." Logan told them as he pulled out a black coat, then reached onto the shelf above and grabbed an over sized black purse.

"Are you serious?" Lorelai asked.

"I am. Grab whatever you want. We'll come back later tonight, so you can go shopping then if you want to. No rush."

"Can I just move in?"

"I don't think anyone would even notice if you did." Logan laughed. "Do you have sunglasses?" he asked opening a cabinet to display a large selection of sunglasses in all different colors and styles.

"Oh my gosh! No way! Can I have these?!" Lorelai asked picking up a pair of Cartier glasses.

"They're yours!"

"Really?!"

"Really!" Logan told her.

"I used to have some of these when I was 14. I thought I was the coolest kid in the world! Thank you so much Logan!"

"You are very welcome. Rory, what do you think of these?"

"Oooh! Versace! I like!" Lorelai said admiring the glasses.

"Would you like these too?"

"No, I love what I've got, but those would look fabulous on Rory!"

"Are you sure that Honor is ok with us taking her stuff?" Rory asked.

"Would you like me to call her?" Logan asked her.

"No, I believe you. I've just never seen so much designer stuff in my entire life!"

"You'll be a Huntzberger soon enough. Get used to it." Logan told her as his phone rang. "This is Logan . . . Wonderful! Thank you, we'll be right there." he said, then disconnected the call. "The chopper is 5 minutes out. We need to get going. You can leave all your stuff here. We'll be back tonight. We're going to camp out here for the weekend."

"Can I party here too?" Lorelai asked as they left the closet and headed out of Honor's bedroom.

"If you'd like to. The more the merrier."

"I need to go grab my purse and phones from your room." Rory said as she started to head across the hall.

"They are already downstairs with your laptop."

"Wow! You are a mind reader!"

"I do my best." Logan smiled, leading the ladies down the stairs and through the house, back to the kitchen to where Richard was waiting for them, reading a newspaper.

"Rory, you look absolutely beautiful!" Richard said as the trio entered the kitchen.

"Is it too much Grandpa? Because if it is, we can change it."

"Absolutely not! You look stunning! Just like a CEO should. This is a really big day for you Honey. Take a deep breath, and try to enjoy it. Let Logan and I worry about everything else."

"Thank you Grandpa. I am so glad that you are here. I always feel more relaxed just having you around. You, Mom, and Grandma have always held me up when I've felt weak."

"We are family. That is our job. Now let's get going, there is a helicopter trying to land outside."

"Here is your coat." Logan said holding the black coat he had pulled out of Honor's closet out for Rory to put on, then handing her the sunglasses.

"Let's move your things into this other purse." Lorelai told her "Logan, that box is the soup for your Dad, and some sandwiches for us, for later on. Sookie has everything on ice."

"Please tell her thank you for me." Logan said as he reached for the box.

"I most definitely will. Sookie loves doing this stuff. It's exactly why she became a chef. She said something about making 4 or 5 different kinds of soup. It smelled delicious when I walked into the kitchen at the Inn."

"Sookie is amazing!" Richard told them. "Now, are we ready?"

"I think so." Rory told them as she grabbed her purse. "I've never flown in a helicopter before."

* * *

Just before noon the helicopter landed on the roof of the Huntzberger Publishing Group, and Logan escorted the Gilmore family inside to Rory's office, where they were met by Doyle.

"How was your flight?" Doyle asked.

"It was great!" Lorelai told him. "Way less frightening that I remember as a child. It's nice to see you again Doyle. How are Paris and the twins?"

"They are great! The twins miss you. You should stop by when you have some time."

"I would love to! We will set something up."

"Doyle, is everyone here?" Logan asked.

"They are all in the conference room."

"Has my Dad arrived?" Rory asked.

"Not yet. He is the only person I have yet to see. Mr. McCray and Mr. Morgan were the last ones to arrive. The boardroom is prepared for the 1:00 meeting, and then there will be a brief press conference following that."

"Perfect. Please take this box to Sandra and have her give it to Frank from the car service when he gets here, and let her know to bring Mr. Hayden to the conference room as soon as he arrives. We'll see you in there." Logan said handing the box to Doyle, then leading everyone out of the room, and to the conference room down the hall.

"Rory, you look amazing! I am so excited to finally have you as my sister!" Honor said jumping out of her seat and hurrying over to hug Rory as soon as she walked through the door.

"Thank you Honor. And thank you for coming." Rory smiled.

"Lorelai, Mr. Gilmore, it is so nice to see you again."

"Thank you all for coming." Logan said taking a seat at the table next to Collin. "I am so sorry that you are all having to deal with this crap, but we need to figure out how to handle it as a family, before dealing with the business and media side of things."

"Can I just say Thank you to Rory for stepping up, and taking on this company so that I didn't have to?" Honor asked. "I knew Logan doesn't want it, and frankly, I know nothing about it, so thank you Rory! Thank you for saving my life!"

"Um, you're welcome?" Rory chuckled.

"Question" Logan started. "Does anyone other than Rory, Honor and I have the circus outside of their home?"

"It's not too bad at my house, but there is a small group of them. Nothing like what is outside the main house, and your apartments. I drove by there by the way, out of curiosity."

"I was at Logan's this morning to get Rocky." Finn spoke up.

"Thank you for that Finn." Logan told him. "Rocky is at Collin's now?"

"Yes, Stephanie and little Valerie are taking care of him." Collin answered.

"Thank you Collin. You guys are amazing friends! How did you know that I needed someone to take Rocky?"

"I just knew that you weren't in town, and with the circus showing up, I knew from experience that you wouldn't be coming back any time soon, so someone needed to rescue the k-9. I wasn't about to go deal with that nightmare, so I sent Finn."

"Finn told the circus that we are in Hawaii." Rory smirked.

"No, I told them that you said aloha, and wished them a fabulous day. I never told them where you were, just that you were out of state. They can draw their own conclusions from there."

"It was a pretty clever move, if I do say so myself." Collin added.

"Maybe we should run away to Hawaii." Honor told them. "Mom is with a sitter, Dad has his own sitters at the hospital, and the circus is just the circus, so Hawaii is sounding really good right about now."

"Don't I wish!" Rory told her.

"Richard, you don't have anyone outside your home?" Logan asked.

"Not at this time. I've received several phone calls, but just let people know that they will have to reach out to HPG directly for comment on the matter. The only question that Emily or I will answer, is that yes, our granddaughter is indeed engaged."

"Perfect answer! Lorelai, has the circus invaded Stars Hollow?"

"Not that I've seen, but if they do, I'm sure both Luke and Taylor will drive them right now."

"Oh, I'm sure Taylor will be all over that!" Rory laughed as the door opened, and everyone looked up to see who was joining them.

"Hey Everybody! Nice to see you all!" Christopher said walking into the room, and taking a seat next to Doyle.

"Perfect timing!" Logan told him. "We are discussing the circus invasion."

"There are people at my parent's house."

"What!? How?!" Lorelai asked.

"The board knows that I'm a Hayden." Rory told everyone.

"Is Francine completely freaking out?"

"No, because she isn't even there!" Christopher answered. "Mom is rarely in Hartford anymore. She spends most of her time in Boston with Gigi and I. We got a call from one of the neighbors this morning, letting us know that there is a swarm of press outside her gate."

"But there is no one in Boston?" Logan asked.

"Not at the moment! It's like I don't even exist. I walked right past the swarm outside this building, like I'm completely invisible or something." Chris laughed. "It's kind of nice actually."

"So what do we do until they leave?" Rory asked.

"Same thing we always do." Honor spoke up. "We give them a little bit of information at a press conference, then hide out and wait for the storm to die. They'll eventually get bored and go away."

"We just need a Kardashian to do something stupid this weekend." Collin added.

"I honestly just don't understand why people even care what I do." Logan said with a roll of his eyes. "Even Paris Hilton is a nobody again. People only knew her from reality tv and sex tapes."

"Same with the KarTrashians." Lorelai added.

"And I haven't done any of that!" Logan told them.

"Well, there is a huge benefit here for you." Richard started. "You own the newspapers, therefor, YOU own the narrative! You can publish whatever information you want, and you have full control of exactly what information that is. Your words won't be misconstrued when you are the one publishing them."

"See, that's a positive outcome to all of this!" Christopher announced happily.

"And this is why we keep my Dad around." Lorelai smiled.

"So here is what we do. We release a blanket statement today, and then this weekend we spend writing up a happy story that we have published in all the Huntzberger papers on Monday. Everyone else can pick it up on the AP wire." Richard announced.

"So I guess I am the one writing the story then." Rory said flatly.

"Honey, it's your story to tell. We can have someone else write it, but then you loose some control of what is said." Lorelai explained.

"Plus, no one knows your story better than you do." Christopher told her.

"You can even do it as an introduction to the new CEO." Doyle announced. "Kind of a 'Hi, this is me' piece."

"That is perfect!" Honor agreed.

"And Doyle just confirmed my decision to hire him." Logan announced. "This is why I hired people with experience. Richard, would you like a job?"

"No thank you, Son! I am perfectly happy being semi-retired. But I am willing to consult at any time." Richard told him with a proud chuckle.

"So now we just need to figure out what we want to say to the media today to make them back off a little." Honor told them.

"We will decide that with the PR team in the next meeting." Logan agreed.

"Should we designate a family spokesperson?" Christopher asked.

"NOT I, said the cat!" Honor laughed.

"I second that." Lorelai agreed. "But what about Dad? You are the patriarch of the family. Would you mind speaking for the Gilmores?"

"Of course I will. I don't mind at all."

"So Christopher, that makes you the Hayden person."

"Can't I hide in with the Gilmore clan?"

"We're a gang, not a clan. Get it right!" Lorelai corrected him.

"Lorelai is right, Christopher. The Hayden family needs to release a statement as well." Richard told him.

"Alright, well then just tell me what to say." Christopher agreed.

"We just say that we are thrilled for Rory and Logan, this engagement has been a very long time coming, and that will all of Rory's accomplishments and accolades throughout the last several years, as well as her years at Yale, we think that she is an amazing addition to the Huntzberger Publishing Group, and will do a wonderful job."

"So then I guess that leaves me to speak for the Huntzberger family." Logan said. "Collin, you're my attorney."

"You can say whatever you want." Collin told him.

"But wouldn't it be weird for me to speak about my relationship for my family?"

"Logan has a point." Christopher agreed.

"What about Honor?" Finn asked.

"Do I really have to?"

"I think it would be best if you would say a few words." Richard told her. "It doesn't have to be a lot. It can be very short. Just speak from the heart. Tell everyone that your father is doing well and is expected to make a full recovery. Then go on to tell them just how happy you are to welcome Rory to the family, and that your family fully supports her stepping into the very big shoes your father fills, and that you have every confidence that Rory will successfully lead the company with honor, dignity, and integrity."

"Collin, you still get to speak for me. I'm sure I'll need to give some kind of statement."

"You know I'll say whatever you want me to. You pay me enough, I'm your circus monkey now." Collin told him.

"What information are we releasing about Dad?" Honor asked as they all heard a phone start to ring.

"That is me. Excuse me, I need to take this." Rory said getting up from her seat, and quickly leaving the room.

"This is Rory!" she said, cheerfully answering the call.

"Rory, it's Stewart do you have a moment?"

"Of course, what can I do for you?"

"Can you stop by the office today? I know you requested an extended leave due to personal and family circumstances, but in light of recent events, we need to have a meeting."

"Sure, I would be happy to. I have a few things that I need to take care of this afternoon, but would 4:00 be alright?"

"That will be fine. Thank you Rory. We will see you then." Steward said, then ended the call.

"Um, someone should probably go check on Rory." Honor suddenly said, seeing Rory thru the glass wall of the conference room, as she leaned back against the hallway wall with a sigh, her eyes closed and head tilted back. Logan, Richard and Lorelai quickly spun their chairs around so they could see what was going on, and both Logan and Lorelai jumped up and rushed out of the room.

"What's going on?" Lorelai asked as they hurried to Rory's side. "Is everything ok?"

"My boss at the Times just called. They want me to come in for a meeting today."

"Ok, well that's not a bad thing."

"He said that he knows that I asked for an LOA for personal and family reasons. But in light of recent events, we need to have a meeting." Rory told them.

"Yikes!"

"It'll be ok. What time is the meeting?" Logan asked.

"4pm." Rory said flatly.

"Alright. Collin and I will go with you."

"I'm loosing my job. I just know it. I can feel it. I have this sickening stabbing burn in the pit of my stomach. Everything that I have worked so hard for, is about to completely go up in flames!"

"No, Rory, that's not true. You have no idea what is going to happen at the meeting. They probably just want to know the truth about what is going on." Lorelai said in a soothing voice.

"Let's go sit down, we need to discuss this with Collin." Logan said softly, brushing a tear from Rory's face that suddenly appeared from her eyes. "Everything will be ok. We will handle this. I promise! I will do everything in my power to make this better."

"But what if you can't?"

"Then maybe we will just have to buy the Times." Logan smirked. "Come on, let's go sit down."

"Rory, Honey, is everything ok?" Christopher asked as Lorelai and Logan guided her back into the room, and got her seated at the table.

"Rory's boss called. 4pm meeting at the Times." Logan said looking directly at Collin.

"What did he say?" Collin asked.

"That even though I asked for LOA due to personal and family issues, in light of recent events, they want to have a meeting. I'm loosing my job." Rory said softly as more tears emerged.

"Did he say that?"

"Not directly that I'm being fired, but it was in his tone."

"Honey, you don't know that you are being fired. They probably just need to know what is going on." Lorelai said, trying to console her daughter.

"When you were first hired on with the Times, did you have to sign any contracts? Something like a non compete disclosure? They usually say that you can't work for any competitors for a certain amount of time during and post employment."

"I don't know, maybe? It was a long time ago." Rory said as Collin pulled his phone out and started typing quickly. "I just have this really bad feeling."

"If they did have you sign a non compete disclosure, working for HPG would definitely void your contract, which is probably grounds for immediate termination. I'm sorry to say, there is really no way to sugar coat that one, and Logan actually pays me not to sugar coat anything. But the good news is that there is an up side."

"And what is that?" Honor asked.

"We just buy the Times. You can't compete when they are under the same umbrella."

"You can't just up and buy the Times." Lorelai said rolling her eyes.

"Actually, my Dad has been wanting to buy them for years." Honor told her.

"If you managed to acquire the times during your second day as CEO of this company, I'm pretty sure that would be all the confirmation that Mitchum needs to just retire immediately, and let you run the company from here on out."

"Come on you guys, let's be realistic. Rory can't just up and buy the New York Times." Lorelai told them.

"Honey, you would actually be surprised what the Huntzberger family can do." Richard said softly. "Your mother and I definitely can't afford to buy the Times, but HPG . . ."

"What if we combined the Gilmore and Hayden money?" Christopher joked. "We could own them, and hand them to Rory as a play toy."

"Christopher!" Lorelai hissed. "Stop it!"

"How much money do you think we can access?" Collin asked.

"You guys! Stop it!" Lorelai snapped.

"You guys, I am not buying the Times. Get real." Rory told them.

"But you could. You have the power. Mitchum has been wanting to buy the Times for years! You could literally be his favorite person in the universe!" Collin told her.

"I wouldn't do something like that without talking to Mitchum anyway. That is a lot of money to spend."

"But you have the power, and it would be an immediate return on your investment."

"I'm not buying the Times you guys. At least not today."

"But you could." Collin told her.

"Collin, making giant crazy purchases out of the blue is YOUR thing, not mine! I am not going to randomly go out and buy the Times. But if you would like to do it, by all means, be my guest!" Rory told him.

"Ok, let's get the focus back." Doyle told them. "We have another meeting to get to."

"So as far as the rest of the day goes . . ." Logan started. "We have another meeting here, then a brief press conference. Following that, Rory has to be at the Times."

"Are you planning to go see Dad?" Honor asked.

"I am. Sookie sent soup for him, so I asked Frank to pick it up here and deliver it to the nurses station for me.

"I'll go over after the press conference and make sure he eats."

"Thank you." Logan told her. "Lorelai, would you and Christopher mind going to Rory's apartment, and packing her a bag? We are going to stay in Hartford for the weekend. That house is much more secure than either of our apartments here."

"Yeah, sure, no problem." Lorelai answered.

"Would you mind if I went to the hospital with Honor?" Richard asked. "I would love to give my regards to your father."

"Richard, I would love that!" Honor told him. "Please come with me. Dad will love seeing you!"

"I will add you to the visitors list." Logan told him. "Finn, can you be trusted to go to my apartment to get my things?"

"I got your dog, didn't I?" Finn answered.

"Did you get his food?"

"No, I did not."

"I'll make you a list." Logan told him.

"Splendid idea!"

"Honor, will you be staying in the city this weekend?"

"Yeah, my house is pretty secure, and I'm used to this nonsense. I'll be ok. But if you need me to come to Hartford, I will."

"Doyle, you can do the same as today. Work from home, work from the office, do whatever. You know how to find us." Logan told him.

"No problem. I just got a message that they are ready for us in the board room." Doyle said looking up from his phone.

"Thank you. If the rest of you will excuse us, I need to borrow Rory, Richard and Collin for the next meeting. But please, stick around the office until the press conference. You can redecorate Rory's office if you want." Logan announced, rising from his chair, and reaching for Rory's hand.

"Mom, is my makeup ok?" Rory asked.

"One second." Lorelai said pulling a compact out of her purse, then standing up and quickly dabbing some concealer under Rory's eyes. "All better."

"Thank you!"

"No problem Sweetie. Mommy is happy to help. Try not to worry too much. Everything is going to be ok."

"I'm trying." Rory said taking a deep breath, slowly releasing it, then following Logan out of the room.

"Honor, I have an idea. I need your help." Lorelai said looking toward Honor as soon as the door was closed.

"Sure!"

"I want to do something fun this weekend since Rory and Logan will be in Hartford, and they almost never get any time away."

"I'm in! What are you thinking?"

"I know that our mothers will be planning some big lavish engagement party once your Dad is recovered, and able to move around again. But I was thinking of throwing a party in Stars Hollow on Saturday. It's Rory's birthday. I know that it's only two days away, and doesn't give us much time to plan, but really, it's the Hollow, and it can totally be done! It'll just be the town and some really close friends, and maybe my parents if I decide to invite them."

"What about me?" Christopher asked.

"No way! You'll ruin it! Stay away!" Lorelai joked with a swish of her hand.

"Am I invited to this little shindig, or am I just chopped liver?" Finn asked.

"Only if you promise to be on your very best behavior!" Lorelai told him. "I've heard quite a few stories about you. In fact, I think you probably need a babysitter, right?"

"That's what Collin and Stephanie are for."

"Deal! You can come with them!" Lorelai agreed.

"Lorelai, I am totally there!" Honor told her! Just tell me what you need me to do."

"Let's get Luke and Sookie on the phone. Chris, I need your phone."

"Lor, you have your own phone." Christopher told her.

"I know that! But I need to make two phone calls at the exact same time, and I need to put them both on speaker so everyone can hear each other, so give me your phone please." Lorelai said holding her hand out. "Thank you!" she said then quickly began to dial.

"Dragonfly Inn, Michel speaking." the french voice came over the speaker.

"Hi Michel, it's Lorelai."

"How are things in the city?"

"They are going well. It's a long story. I need a favor, can I talk to Sookie?"

"Oh good, you don't want the favor from me. One moment please!" Michel said as he headed through the inn toward the kitchen, as Lorelai reached into her purse and pulled out her own phone.

"Luke's Diner." a voice said a moment later.

"Hey Luke, it's me!"

"Me who?"

"Me, your wife! What other women call you at work? Geez!" Lorelai said sarcastically.

"Hey Lorelai!" Sookie said taking the phone from Michel.

"Are you back from the city already?" Luke asked. "Are you at the Dragonfly?"

"No, I'm still in the city. I am here with Honor, Chris and Logan's friend Finn. I have an idea, and I need both of you, Luke and Sookie to help me out, so I've got you both on speaker phone." Lorelai explained.

"Ok . . ." Luke said flatly.

"Yes! I'm in!" Sookie said excitedly. "I hope this is what I think it is!"

"I want to throw a party."

"YES!" Sookie squealed.

"I want to throw a party this weekend. On Saturday. As a surprise for Rory and Logan."

"But I thought your mom was planning an engagement party with Mrs. Huntzberger once her husband is doing better?" Luke asked.

"She is. Some expensive lavish thing. But I want to throw my own party. Just for our friends in the Hollow. Plus, it's Rory's birthday. Will you guys help me?"

"I am all over it!" Sookie told her.

"Like I have a choice." Luke grumbled.

"I will be back home later tonight. I'll let you know when we get back to Hartford, and we can get together then." Lorelai told them.

"I will start planning right now! I'll call up Miss Patty and Babbette and meet them at the Diner in an hour." Sookie told them.

"Thank you Sookie! Luke, I'll call you when we are done here. Love you!" Lorelai said, then disconnected the calls, and handed Chistopher back his phone. "Ok, so when I get back to the Hollow, I'll let you guys know the plan." Lorelai told them.

"Hey Lor, can I get a room at the Dragonfly for a couple days?" Christopher asked. "I figure if you are having a party for our kid, I should probably stick around town to help."

"Sure, that would be great actually! I'll text Michel. Honor, would you like one too?"

"If you want, but it's not necessary. Josh and I can stay at my parents' house with Logan and Rory. It'll keep the circus away from your town."

"That is probably a good idea." Lorelai agreed. "I am so excited! I am so going to trump my mother on this one!"

"So, where are we going to have this party at?" Christopher asked.

"The town square of course! I'm thinking something funky but classy. Maybe we could do an 80's dance party? Something fun!"

"What about a midsummer night's dream?" Honor asked.

"I love it!" Lorelai agreed.

"Let me do decorations. I've always wanted to throw a midsummer night's dream party. Josh and I will drive down tonight, and I'll take a look at the location and then tomorrow I'll go meet with my florist in Hartford and get everything taken care of. I'm sure she can pull it off exactly how I envision it."

"That would be incredible! You guys should come stay at the house. You can have Rory's room."

"That would be lovely, but I don't want to put you out."

"Don't be silly. It's not a problem at all. Rory obviously isn't going to be there. She won't mind at all. It'll be fun. We can have a slumber party."

"Thank you Lorelai, you are so sweet! I can't wait! I am calling my florist right now to let her know." Honor said pulling her phone out of her purse.

"So what do you need from me?" Christopher asked.

"No idea yet." Lorelai laughed. "Sookie and Luke will take care of food, Honor has flowers and decorations. Maybe just a hand here and there. You are the father of the bride, so we definitely need you included."

"Is it going to be weird for Luke having me there?"

"Come on Chris, don't be silly. It wasn't weird when we were all at Rory's house a couple weeks ago, so why would it be weird now? We are all family, and we are doing this for Rory. Besides, you saw how upset she just was about the whole job thing. Taking over HPG may be great for her career wise, but losing the one job she has worked her entire life for, that has to hurt!"

"Collin is right about the voided contract. I didn't want to say anything in front of Rory, but I'm pretty sure Collin is right."

"It sucks, but Rory will be ok. We will get her through this. Just like we always do. And she is about to be so busy that she will forget all about it pretty quick. Everything is going to be just fine." Lorelai told him.


	14. Chapter 14

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I am currently re-reading everything that I have thus far, making edits and changes, and publishing each chapter as I go. I have quite a bit written so far, but I am also dealing with some writers block, so hopefully by re-reading and editing everything, I'll figure out where to go with this and get it finished. If anyone has any ideas of something they would like to see happen, please feel free to let me know.

* * *

PR Meeting

Huntzberger Publishing Group Offices

Manhattan, New York

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice." Logan said as he entered the room with Rory, Doyle Richard and Collin, and they took seats at the end of the table. "Because no one in this room knows each other, I think we should start by going around the table and introducing ourselves. I think everybody here knows me, but I am Doctor Logan Huntzberger, emergency room physician at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, and also son of Mitchum Huntzberger, CEO of Huntzberger Publishing Group. I am the one who originally diagnosed by Dad with a heart attack in the ER, along with Doctors Greenley and Levan." Logan said, then squeezed Rory's hand, looking to her to speak next.

"I am Rory Gilmore, Logan's fiance, and interim CEO of Huntzberger Publishing Group. Grandpa . . ."

"I am Richard Gilmore, grandfather to Rory. I own a successful insurance company in Hartford where I insure many large companies, similar to HPG and Columbia Presbyterian. I am here to consult, and advise Logan and my Granddaughter."

"Hi, I am Doyle McMaster. I am Rory's personal assistant here at HPG." Doyle said, then looked toward the next person at the table.

"Collin McCrae of McCrae and Associates, I am Logan and Rory's personal attorney."

"Hello everyone, I am Denise Cicione, and I am part of the public relations team here at HPG.

"Carlos Leon, public relations at HPG."

"Candace Goodman, public relations, HPG."

"Steevin Coolage, head of public relations, HPG."

"Elizabeth Newcastle, HPG Human Resources."

"Nicholas Steinway, head of Human Resources, HPG."

"Samantha Sudsburry, Public Relations at Columbia Presbyterian."

"Kimberly Watson, Human Resources at Columbia Presbyterian."

"Charles Levan, Chief of Cardio Thorasic Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian. I am Mitchum Huntzberger's surgeon, and head of his care team"

"And I am Anthony Greenley, head of the Emergency Department at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. I diagnosed Mr. Huntzberger alongside his son Doctor Logan Huntzberger."

"Thank you everyone." Logan said with a smile. "I sincerely apologize for all of the inconveniences today. I had no idea that the media circus would invade town, and cause so much trouble for all of us. But I can assure you that I have dealt with this before, and no one wants a solution and an end to this insanity, more than Rory and I do. How bad is the nightmare outside of the hospital?"

"Would you like to see the pictures?" Dr. Greenley asked with a chuckle, passing his phone to Logan. "I took these from the roof."

"Good grief! I am so sorry you guys! Samantha, Kimberly, you have my sincerest apologies! I honestly never wanted any of this to happen. I love my job, and I hope that you won't hold this against me."

"Logan, it's ok. This kind of stuff happens." Kimberly Watson told him. "Don't worry, your position with the hospital is secure. You are a great doctor!"

"Kimberly is right. And we have dealt with this kind of thing before when we have had high profile patients at the hospital. We just need to discuss how you want us to deal with it." Samantha told him.

"Steevin, what has HPG done in the past with this sort of thing while my father has been in charge?" Logan asked.

"We release a statement stating the events that led up to this media circus, and what our plan is going forward. So in this case, we would need to address Mr. Huntzberger's heart attack, the appointment of Miss. Gilmore, your engagement, and our plans going forward, including your father's medical prognosis and treatment."

"Thank you Steevin. Is everyone in agreement?" Logan asked, looking around the room. "Collin, Richard any additional suggestions?"

"We need to address the rumor of you trying to kill your father." Collin told him.

"I can't believe that people are really saying that. If I wanted to kill my father, I have had 33 years to do it. Why would I wait until now?"

"Trust me, I agree with you! I've known and conspired with you long enough, that if we had wanted to bump off Mitchum, it would have happened a couple of decades ago." Collin agreed. "But that that point is mute. The matter at hand here is that your father's heart attack and your engagement happened in such close proximity, that people are trying to use it as a murder weapon."

"And it doesn't matter than I asked Rory to marry me 9 years ago. The fact that she finally said yes last night, now makes it a murder weapon. This is just ridiculous!" Logan said rolling his eyes. "A diamond ring isn't a bloody knife, or a smoking gun. What is with people lately?!"

"Well, I guess the good news is that we were able to get copies of your father's prior medical records." Doctor Levan spoke up. "And it looks like Mr Huntsberger has had a heart condition for quite some time, but has failed to do anything about it."

"Oh really?! Doyle, would you mind running out and grabbing my sister for me?" Logan asked as Doctor Levan passed him a file folder.

"What's going on?" Honor asked walking through the door a minute later.

"Sorry for the interruption everyone, this is my older sister, Honor Huntzberger." Logan said, quickly introducting Honor to everyone in the meeting as Honor gave them all a brief wave. "Honor, were you aware that Dad has had an untreated heart condition?"

"What?! Please tell me that you are kidding!" she said taking a seat next to him, and looking at the folder of information in front of Logan.

"It looks like your father has had the condition for several years, and has refused treatment." Doctor Levan told them. "These records state that he was advised to start taking medication for his high blood pressure, about 8 years ago, and that he has continuously failed to do so."

"Dad also doesn't exercise, or cut down on the number of steaks and fatty foods that he eats." Honor sighed.

"Your father's diet doesn't seem to be too much of a concern. It looks like he eats decent enough. However, he does need to start taking better care of himself. He has undergone some testing, but refused anything that is invasive, no matter how minor."

"You didn't know any of this?" Logan asked his sister.

"I had no idea. Mom and Dad never said anything to me.

"I wonder if Mom even knew."

"I doubt it. If Dad didn't tell me, then he definitely didn't say anything to mom about it either. Besides, it's not like she would have pushed him to get treatment. She's at a freaking spa for Pete's sake!"

"When things get stressful, Shira gets hot rock massages!" Collin laughed.

"Doctor Levan, I'm sorry, I know that this is none of my business being that I am not technically family." Rory started. "But is there any way that Logan and Honor can get a medical power of attorney, or some kind of medical conservator-ship over Mitchum, and force him into getting the medical care that he needs?"

"That would be up to a judge. However, Mitchum is of sound mind. There is no reason for anyone in the hospital to declare him mentally incompetent, and unable to make his own informed decisions." Doctor Levan answered.

"What about putting it into his medical treatment plan that Dad will not be released from treatment, and allowed to return to work unless he has successfully completed the treatment plan set out by all of his doctors, and approved by the HPG board?" Honor asked.

"Do you really think that Uncle John and the moron cousins should be involved in Dad's medical decisions? They would rather have him dead, thinking that they can overthrow us." Logan told her.

"You are probably right."

"I think that you are definitely onto something though. We can have a treatment plan set up, stating that until it is successfully completed, Dad will not be released from the hospital, or allowed to return to work. We might have to put him into a rehabilitation center, but at least he would be contained there, and forced to take care of himself."

"Heck, we can send him to some celebrity treatment center out in California, and get him completely away from here for several months while he learns to enjoy a new lifestyle. Maybe he'll even enjoy it so much out there, that he'll just decide to retire and stay there."

"We could only get so lucky!" Logan laughed.

"That all is definitely do able, and a great plan! Let's set a care plan meeting next week to get that all worked out. I will get you a list of treatment facilities." Doctor Levan told them.

"Steevin, Nicholas, are you onboard with getting Dad a treatment plan contingent on taking care of his heart condition before allowing him to transition back to work at HPG?" Logan asked.

"Whatever is in the best interest of Mitchum's health, and your family's stability is ok by us." Steevin told them.

"Collin, I will need you to be a part of the treatment plan. We need to close all loopholes and force Dad into it with no chance of getting out before the doctors determine that he is ready, and it is safe for him to resume his normal stress induced life."

"I am more than happy to help with that." Collin said punching notes into his phone.

"Alright, so I guess the next thing that we need to address, is what we are going to tell the circus outside.

"We have a press conference set downstairs in the press room at 3:00." Doyle told them. "There have been people assembling for a while now. IT has everything set up for you."

"Wonderful! Right now the plan is to have the families each release their own statements. Richard, Christopher, and Honor will be taking care of those." Logan explained. "Steevin, who will be speaking for HPG?"

"I will take the lead for HPG. You and Rory can speak if you would like to . We will allow 5 minutes for questions at the end, and most likely all of those questions will be addressed toward the two of you."

"I will take the lead for the hospital." Samantha volunteered. "I will introduce Doctor Levan and allow him to give Mr. Huntzberger's prognosis. How much information do you want released?"

"Only that he's had a heart attack, and that he is expected to fully recover, in time, correct?" Honor asked looking toward her brother.

"I fully agree with that! Dad's health is none of anyone else's business, and I would like to keep it that way. None of Dad's details that have been discussed in this meeting are to leave this room, is that understood?" Logan asked, looking around the room.

"Understood." each of the HPG employees agreed as Logan and Honor looked around at each of them.

"Any information that is shared by anyone other than Logan, Honor, or the hospital staff, without signed consent, is subject to HIPPA laws, and will be prosecuted as such." Collin informed everyone.

"Logan, I think we need to get a plan in place to continue monitoring Dad's health, and have contingency plans ready, just in case this happens again." Honor suggested.

"I think that is a really good idea." Richard agreed. "You know I have had two heart attacks, with a bypass done the second time around. Unfortunately with heart problems, it is never just a one time event. I personally think that even after your father is able to be released, and to return to work, Rory should remain on staff as a partner CEO, just in case something were to happen to Mitchum down the line."

"I agree with Richard." Collin told them. "It makes sense to keep Rory on staff in the exact same position. Just in case something happens in a few months, or even a few years down the line. We don't want to have to go through this same thing all over again. Rory and Mitchum can tag team the position."

"Rory, is all of this something that you would be ok with?" Logan asked. "You and I can talk about this later if you'd like."

"Let's talk later if that's ok." Rory said softly.

"Of course. You have a lot going on."

"I'm not saying no, I just . . ."

"I know." Logan said reaching out and sliding his arm around her. "Is there anything else that we need to discuss?" Logan asked looking around the room once more. "Ok, then why doesn't everybody get their statements prepared for the press conference at 3:00, and we will see all of you downstairs. If you will please excuse us, I need a moment. Rory. . ." Logan said rising from his seat, taking Rory's hand, and escorting her out of the room, down the long hallway to her new office, where he closed the door behind then, and pulled her into his arms. "It's ok, you are safe. You can let it all out now." he said feeling her begin to shake in his embrace. "Let it all out. I've got you." Logan just stood there holding Rory, gently stroking her back while she cried into his chest. "I promise you, everything is going to be ok. I am right here with you, and I am not going anywhere."


	15. Chapter 15

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I am currently re-reading everything that I have thus far, making edits and changes, and publishing each chapter as I go. I have quite a bit written so far, but I am also dealing with some writers block, so hopefully by re-reading and editing everything, I'll figure out where to go with this and get it finished. If anyone has any ideas of something they would like to see happen, please feel free to let me know.

* * *

"How'd it go?" Lorelai asked as Richard, Doyle, Collin and Honor walked back into the conference room a few minutes later. "Where are Rory and Logan?"

"It went really good." Richard told her. "Everyone is good to go for the press conference."

"I think Rory needed a few minutes." Honor told her. "She looked really stressed out."

"Do you know where they are?" Lorelai asked getting up from her chair.

"I saw them go into Rory's office." Doyle answered.

"Excuse me." Lorelai said quickly exiting the room, and heading to help her daughter as quickly as she could, gently knocking on the door as soon as she arrived at the office.

"Who is it?" Logan asked.

"It's Lorelai, can I come in?"

"Sure." he said softly, still holding Rory who had calmed down a little bit.

"Oh, Honey . . ." Lorelai said softly as she walked into the office and saw Rory crying in Logan's arms.

"I think she is just really overwhelmed right now."

"What happened in that meeting?"

"The hospital was able to get my Dad's medical records, and as it turns out, he has had a heart condition for years. Dating back to when I was in college, but has been refusing treatment, and hiding it from everybody! Honor and I are going to be setting up a treatment plan to force Dad into getting the help that he needs, including a stay at a rehab facility, forbidding his return to work until his treatment plan is completed and signed off by his medical team. The idea was then brought up to keep Rory on as permanent co-CEO even after my Dad eventually comes back. Just in case something happens down the line, whether it's in a few months, or even a few years. It prevents us from having to go through any of this all over again."

"Wow! He's lucky it took this long for him to have a heart attack! And he's probably lucky that this heart attack didn't immediately kill him."

"Exactly my thoughts!" Logan told her.

"That is a lot to take in."

"Honor and I are going to meet with Dad's care team next week to get a treatment plan set up., including sending him to some fancy celebrity rehab facility out of state until we are all confidant that he can come back to work without jeopardizing his health. And we are kind of hoping that by sending him to a fancy resort type facility, maybe he will love it so much that he won't want to come back."

"Yeah, good luck with that one!" Lorelai chuckled as Rory sniffled, and started to pull away from Logan. "Honey, are you ok?"

"I need coffee." Rory said super softly.

"Ok, why don't you sit down on the couch with Logan, and I'll go find you some coffee, ok?"

"Thanks." Rory murmured as Logan moved her toward the couch, and helped her to get comfortable as Lorelai quickly left the office in search of coffee.

"You can skip the press conference if you want to." Logan told her.

"No, I have to go. What's the point in the press conference to discuss the new CEO, if said CEO isn't in attendance?"

"Rory, you aren't in any condition to deal with a press conference right now."

"I just need some coffee. I'll be ok."

"Rory . . ." Logan sighed adjusting his arm around her as they sat together on the couch. "You don't have to pretend for me. I know you. It is perfectly ok for you to not be ok. You have had a stressful couple of weeks, and in the last few days, the hits just keep on coming your way. It is ok for you to meltdown. It's perfectly ok for you to need a break right now. This is all a hell of a lot to deal with. You are handling all of this with such strength and grace. I can't think of a single person who could possibly handle all of this better than you are."

"I know. I'll be ok. Really. I just need some coffee."

"Can we talk about this?"

"I'll be ok Logan. It's just a lot. I'm emotional about losing my job today. I know that it's happening. It's the one thing that I've worked for my entire life for, and now I'm being fired."

"Hey, we don't know that."

"Yes we do. You heard Collin. I violated my contract. I worked my entire life for a chance to work at the New York Times, and now I've gone and messed it all up. I was a reporter, and an assistant editor. I was working my butt off, hoping to get another promotion. Maybe I could get a writing position for the world news section. Finally get to be the foreign correspondent that I've always dreamed of being. And now I'm nothing! I'm being fired. Just like that!"

"Rory . . . I know that you are upset. But let's look at it this way. You are now the CEO of the Huntzberger Publishing Group. One of the BIGGEST media conglomerates in the world. If you want to write stories as a foreign correspondent, then you can do it, and there isn't a single person who is going to stop you. And because YOU are the CEO, and writing the stories, your stuff will be instantly picked up by the New York Times off the AP wire. You are so much better than the New York Times. Big deal, they can go right ahead and fire you today. If anyone knows how hard you have worked to get that position, it's me. But Rory, you don't need them anymore. You are so much better than all of those people. Don't let them drag you down, ok? Let's walk in there today, with your head held high. You are the new CEO of HPG, and you can buy them if you want to. You can buy them, and put them right out of business. But I'll tell you one thing . . . If it is an international features piece that you want to write, then you are going to write it. I will book us flights to Dubai or wherever it is that you want to go. We will pick up whatever story you want to write, and you and I will fly to wherever we need to, and you will write your story, ok? I will make this happen for you. No one says that you can't be both the CEO and a foreign correspondent."

"You can do that?" Rory asked in a hopeful voice.

"No, WE can do that. Us, together. It's you and me now, ok? We will go write whatever international news story that you want. You just tell me what story you want, and where we need to go, and I will make it happen."

"Logan, you have no idea how much this means to me."

"Oh trust me, I have every idea. I love you Ace. We are in this together, ok? It's you and me verses the world. You just need to trust me, and let me help you, ok?"

"I know, and I do."

"Just because I'm not the one taking over HPG doesn't mean that I am going to throw you in here, and sit back while you flounder. You know that I am not like that. You are I are a team. And until you are ready to fully run things on your own, I will be right here with you, every second of the day. I will teach you how to do this and help you, until you can run this place in your sleep, alright? I've got your back."

"Hey, it's Honor, can I come in?" a voice said as there was a gentle knock on the door.

"It's open." Logan answered.

"Lorelai said someone needed some makeup touch ups. She's getting coffee, so I told her I would help out."

"Thanks Honor."

"Is everything ok?" Honor asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm just pretty overwhelmed. This is all just a lot." Rory told her. "I just needed to cry for a minute. I'm ok now."

"Should we touch up your makeup before the press conference?"

"It might be a good idea. Do you have anything that can hide the red puffy eyes?"

"Other than the giant sunglasses I heard you hijacked from my collection?" Honor asked with a laugh.

"Hey, your brother told me to!"

"It's fine, you can shop in my closet whenever you want. I honestly don't mind at all. Maybe I should just start buying two of everything, that way we both have one." Honor suggested as she dug into Lorelai's makeup bag. "Oh wow, your mom has all the good stuff! I can definitely fix your red puffy eyes."

"If a Gilmore girl is anything, it's prepared!" Rory told her. "Mom has all kinds of tricks. Did you see the 12 shades of lipstick that she carries around with her?"

"You're serious?! I only carry 3! Maybe I should get myself some Lorelai lessons."

"Mom carries all things beauty and fashion fix with her when she goes out. She has a sewing kit in her bag in case you ever need it."

"I wouldn't even know what to do with that except maybe stab someone with the needle." Honor laughed. "Ok, open your eyes really wide for these drops. They will clear the redness away immediately."

"Thank you for being here Honor. I'm not close with my sisters at all, and I have no idea what it's like to have someone other than my parents and Logan looking out for me. But I really like having you here, and I appreciate everything that you've done for me."

"Hey, it's what big sisters do. And I'm sure that you would do the same for your own sisters."

"I try to. Gigi is 14 now and April is 20. I see them on special occasions."

"Before today, I didn't know you had a second sister." Honor told her.

"April is Luke's daughter. She goes to MIT, so she isn't around much. She'll call or text me every so often if she's got a question, but we aren't close at all. And Gigi lives in Boston with my Dad."

"Well you have me. And I'll be here as much as you want me to. I've never had a sister, so I am super excited to FINALLY officially have you. I think I missed you just as much as Logan did."

"I missed you a ton too." Rory told her.

"You know, I honestly can't thank you enough for taking over this company for us. I was worried that I would have to do it someday after Logan told Dad to piss off."

"This is actually benefiting me way more than anyone ever thought it would. Ever since I was a little girl, it's been my dream to be a foreign correspondent like Christiane Amanpour, but when that phone call came in from my boss at the times, my heart just sunk. I thought that I was loosing everything that I have spent my entire life working toward. But now, Logan says that I can write. Being CEO, I can pick any news story that I want, and that we will fly out to wherever we need to go, and I can write my story. Taking on this position, I never expected that I would be able to do that."

"And that is where you are already better than our Dad is. I don't think Dad has written a single thing since college! But you, you will obviously lead by example. You are willing to put yourself out there, and find the stories instead of sitting behind the desk drinking whisky and pushing everybody around. I think that everyone in this company will respect you a lot more for it too."

"I love writing! I am actually kind of looking forward to writing our introduction article this weekend. I was dreading it at first, but now that I've thought a little bit more about it, I think it will actually be fun."

"Well I am super excited to read it! And if you need anyone to proof it for you, I do have an English degree."

"I didn't know that."

"It's the thing to do in this family. You are forced to get a degree in English and journalism, unless you want to go to law school. You should have seen the parentals flip out about Logan going to medical school. You would have thought he had shot their puppy!"

"That still baffles me." Rory told her.

"Me too. You would think they would be thrilled about their son going to medical school. I really don't understand my parents sometimes! If I ever get to have children of my own, they will be free to be whoever they want, with zero pressure from Josh and I!"

"You want kids someday?"

"I want one of each. A little boy named Jamison, and a girl named Emery. I don't know if it will ever happen, but hopefully one day. We've been trying for years. It's all in God's hands. But even if I don't get kids of my own, I can still be fun Auntie Honor to your kids someday."

"Definitely!" Rory smiled as Logan rubbed her back reassuringly.

"Coffee is here!" Lorelai said cheerfully as she walked into the office carrying a tray of drinks. "Rory, I am so glad you look happier now. I was really worried about you."

"I'm fine, just overwhelmed. I just needed to cry it out. Logan and I talked, and I've been talking to Honor. Everything is good now. I promise."

"Good, I am so glad! But we've got to get going. I was just told we need to be downstairs in about two minutes."

"Eh, it's not like they can really start without us." Logan told them.

"We need to stick with the schedule though. We have somewhere to be in an hour. We need to get this press conference done, and get out of here quickly." Rory told him.

"She's got a point. Let's get going." Lorelai told them, handing each person a cup of coffee, then heading out of the office toward the elevators.

* * *

3:00pm

Huntzberger Publishing Group Offices

Manhattan, New York

Media Room

"Thank you all for coming, we will begin in just a few minutes." Steevin Coolage, the head of Public Relations for the Huntzberger Publishing Group announced, stepping up to the microphone for a brief moment. "We are just waiting for a few more people . . . Can everybody hear me ok? Can you hear me in the back?"

"Is everyone ready?" Logan asked, entering the room, and immediately finding Doyle by the door.

"Please let Steevin know that we are ready." Doyle said to one of the team members next to him. "We were just waiting on you guys. Is Rory ok?"

"She says she is. Hopefully this will be over quickly." Logan said as they saw Steevin stepping back up to the microphone.

"Good afternoon everybody. My name is Steevin Collage, and I am the head of Public Relations here at HPG. Thank you all for taking time out of your busy day to be here. We have gathered you together today to address some changes happening within our company, and we hope that you will be just as excited as we are, to move forward with a new team on hand. Now, without further ado, I would like to introduce you to Doctor Logan Huntzberger, the son of our longtime CEO, Mitchum Huntzberger."

"Let's go." Logan whispered to Rory, squeezing her hand, and moving toward the podium. "Thank you all so much for being here this afternoon. As many of you have heard, my father recently sustained a Myocardial Infarction, and is currently in the hospital recovering from Coronary Bypass Surgery. As is standard for any cardiac patient, my father's recovery is expected to take quite some time, which leaves our company in the tough position of not having a leader. Due to my own career and commitment to my peers and patients at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, I am unable to fill the void left by my father. However, I have done by best to find someone to step into the role of CEO, who is not only just as good as my father, but will bring with her a ton of previous newspaper experience, as well as new ideas which I am confidant will not only continue to move the Huntzberger Publishing Group forward in our current endeavors, but will also provide us with new routes and experiences which I know will redirect us in ways we never realized we could go, and help us to continue growing as a company. I am confidant in my appointment in my appointment of our new interim CEO, and I hope that you will join me in welcoming her to the HPG family. Please welcome my fiance, and our new CEO, Rory Gilmore-Hayden." Logan said proudly holding a hand out for Rory to step up next to him.

"Thank you Mr. Huntzberger. I am looking forward to working with you, and the rest of the board and employees here at HPG, and I hope that I can live up to the wonderful example that your father has been to this company." Rory said with a smile, then quickly stepped away from the microphone.

"Thank you Mr. Huntzberger and Miss Gilmore." Steevin said, stepping up to the microphone once again. "We will now hear from Mrs. Honor Huntzberger Rothschild."

"Thank you so much Mister Coolage. My name is Honor Rothschild, and I am the eldest child of Mitchum Huntzberger. Thank you so much for joining my family this afternoon. I can't tell you how much it means to us to have all of your love and support behind us as we face my father's terrifying cardiac condition, and challenging recovery. I am so incredibly relieved to not have to worry about my family's company while my father recovers, as my younger brother has asked the most amazing person to step into our Dad's large shoes. Rory Gilmore is the perfect example of selfless integrity. While working on the Presidential Campaign trail with our wonderful President, Barack Obama, Rory's unbiased, honesty was a breath of fresh air during what is always a very frustrating smear campaign between candidates. In the 12 years since my brother brought Rory into my life, Rory has always spoken the truth in every situation, and never has said a single negative word about anybody. Rory is always super positive, and goes out of her way to help anyone who might need it. If there is anyone that can step into my father's shoes, and help move this company forward through the ever changing newspaper industry, that person would be Rory. She is such a sweet person both inside and out, and she believes in leading by example, which is such a huge thing for someone in her position. No one wants to work for someone who pushes people around, and isn't willing to practice what they preach. I love Rory so much, and I believe with all of my heart that she has this company's absolute best interest at the forefront of her heart and mind, and she is the perfect person to take on the very challenging role of CEO. I am super excited to work with her, and I am absolutely tickled that just last night, she finally accepted my little brother's proposal to join our family as his wife. There is nobody better than Rory, and I can not wait to have her as my new sister! Thank you!" Honor smiled, then stepped back from the microphone, and joined Logan and Rory, off to the side of the podium, linking her arm through Rory's.

"Thank you Mrs. Rothschild. Now, due to the tremendous interest of the assembled media, we have a few more statements. Mr. Gilmore."

"Good afternoon, I am Richard Gilmore, Grandfather to the beautiful Rory. I can't tell you how proud my family is of our wonderful little girl. It is a privileged and an honor to be Rory's grandfather, and I am immensely thrilled for her new position as the interm CEO of the Huntzberger Publishing Group. I have known Mitchum Huntzberger for a very long time, and have always greatly respected his work with HPG, and all of the endless hours of work he continuously puts in. My granddaughter has always been an exceptionally hard worker, and accomplishes everything she puts her mind to. There isn't anything that this girl can't do, and we as a family as so excited to watch Rory continue to grow as a person, and now help lead HPG to new heights in the newspaper publishing industry. I know without a doubt, that Rory is the perfect choice for this position, and our family stands behind her 100%. We are thrilled for her to take on this new role in life, and we are very honored to soon welcome Logan and the whole Huntzberger family into our own family in the near future. Christopher . . ." Richard said, finishing his statement and stepping aside as Christopher stepped up to the podium next.

"Thank you Richard. Hello everyone, I am Christopher Hayden of Hayden, Merkle and associates, and I am Rory's father. It is my greatest honor to be a part of the life of someone as wonderful as Rory. My daughter has always been the light of my life, and continues to make me the proudest father in the world, every single day. I don't know a single person who is as hard or as determined of a worker as my daughter is, and I am confidant that she will be a fabulous addition to the Huntzberger Publishing Group. As a family, we are thrilled to see Rory take on this new position, and eagerly await all the positive changes she will make in this new role. I have every confidence in Rory's abilities, and I can not wait to watch her dive right in. Logan and Honor choose very well when they asked Rory to step in for Mitchum, and I am beyond excited to have them join the Gilmore and Hayden families. What Rory tackles, she conquers. There is nothing that my little girl can not do, and I am so proud of her! Congratulations Rory! We all love you so much! " Christopher said proudly, then quickly stepped away, and rejoined his family off to the side.

"Thank you Mr Hayden. Lastly, I would like to introduce Mrs. Samantha Sudsburry, Chief Public Relations officer of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital." Steevin announced. Following Mrs. Sudsburry, we will open the floor for questions."

"Hello everybody, thank you all so much for joining us this afternoon. I am Samantha Sudsburry, Chief Public Relations Officer at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. It is my honor to be with you today, and to let you know that our lovely patient Mr. Mitchum Huntzberger, is doing very well following his coronary bypass surgery two days ago. Mr. Huntzberger came into our emergency department with another patient, during which time, Mr. Huntzberger suddenly developed syptoms consistant with a Myocardial Infarction. One of our Emergency Room Physicians, Doctor Logan Huntzberger was immediately alerted to the elder Mr. Huntzberger's condition, at which time the younger Doctor Huntzberger immediately began diagnostic testing, while also calling in help from our cardiac team, headed by an incredible surgeon, Doctor Charles Levan, who is with us today, to my left. Doctor Levan assisted in diagnosing the elder Mr. Huntzberger with a Myocardial Infarction, and immediately took him into the OR and performed Cardiac Bypass surgery. Mr. Huntzberger is doing very well in our facility, and in time, is expected to make a full recovery. As a medical team, and along with the Huntzberger family, we would like to thank you all for your endless love, concern, and healing thoughts toward our patient, and we assure that we will continue to strive to serve you and the rest of our wonderful community, to the very best of our ability. Mr. Huntzberger is in wonderful hands with our cardiac team, and we are so honored to take care of such an incredible man."

"Thank you Mrs. Sudsburry. I will now open the floor up for questions." Steevin announced.

"Mr. Huntzberger, is it true that news of your engagement caused your father's heart attack?" a reporter immediately asked.

"Don't be silly!" Honor said quickly stepping up to the microphone. Logan and Rory began dating since college. If their engagement was going to cause our father to have a heart attack, it would have happened 9 years ago. Besides, our father had a heart attack a full 24 hours before there was even any talk of an engagement. This whole 'They are trying to kill Mitchum' thing is just ludicrous! We honestly have no idea where that rumor even came from, but there is zero merit to it at all."

"Mrs. Rothschild, how long will your father be out of work?"

"There is no timeline for our father's recovery. We aren't rushing things by any means. We expect that it will be several months before he is medically released to return to work."

"Mr. Huntzberger, how long have you known Miss. Gilmore?"

"About 12 years?" Honor asked looking toward Logan and Rory who both nodded their agreement. "They have known each other for 12 years."

"Mrs. Rothschild, is Miss Gilmore even qualified to take on such a role within your family's company?"

"Of course Rory is qualified! Do you honestly think that we would have appointed Rory to take over our father's role if she wasn't qualified?! Don't be ridiculous!" Honor laughed.

"Rory has a degree in English Literature and Journalism from Yale University, where she served as the Editor of the Yale Daily News. Since then she has worked as a reporter on the campaign trail with President Barack Obama, and as a reporter and assistant editor for the New York Times. Rory is more than qualified to take on the role of Interim CEO." Richard said joining Honor at the podium.

"Miss. Gilmore, what will you do when Mitchum Huntzberger is recovered and returns to his company?" another reporter asked.

"That will be determined at the appropriate time." Logan answered as he and Rory stepped up to join Honor at the podium.

"Mr Huntzberger, why didn't you step into your father's role as CEO?"

"I have other commitments with my medical career." Logan answered

"Why didn't Mrs. Rothschild step in if you are unable to?"

"I am not at all as qualified as Rory is. We would rather have someone who is qualified to lead our business forward, step into our father's role as CEO, than for someone with zero newspaper publishing experience to step in. Being CEO of a multi national company is very tough job, and I am definitely not knowledgeable enough to take on the challenge." Honor answered.

"Miss Gilmore, what do you think will be your biggest hurdle, stepping into such a challenging role as Interim CEO of the Huntzberger Publishing Group?"

"That is a great question, thank you so much for asking." Rory started. "I interned for Mr. Huntzberger while I was going to college at Yale University. At the start of my internship, Mr. Huntzberger had just acquired a new newspaper, and it was my job to shadow him, and learn all about what he does, and how HPG works right from the ground floor. I sat in meetings as Mr. Huntzberger met all the department heads, and learned exactly what their strengths and weaknesses were, and helped to identify just where they were struggling, and how to help build them up to where they needed to be in order to have a successful newspaper. I sat in financial meetings where we discussed advertising, and exactly what it costs to run a daily newspaper. I think my biggest challenge right now will be meeting with each individual newspaper, and working to identify their unique needs, and how I can help them grow, and continue to succeed in their specific areas."

"Miss. Gilmore, how long did you work for the New York Times?" another reporter asked.

"Hello Mr. Bruce. It is so nice to see you again! I have been with them for 3 years. I hope you are doing well."

"Miss. Gilmore, would you say that you were handed the position of CEO due to nepotism?"

"It is very important to our family to keep HPG within our family unit, and my sister and I very much respect our father's wishes in that area. When we needed to find a interim CEO we were thinking about who would best be suited to take on such a tough position, and have the necessary skills and experience to run our family's company. Luckily for us, that person just happened to already be in our lives, and having known Rory for 12 years, we were confidant in her qualifications and know how. Rory has been a big part of our lives for so many years, that it just made sense for her to take on the role of interim CEO." Logan informed everyone.

"Mr. Huntzberger, did you propose to Miss Gilmore, specifically to keep your company in the family?"

"No, I did not. I have been wanting to marry Rory since I first met her over a decade ago. Our engagement has been a long time coming. I had been planning to ask her for a while, but it spontaneously just happened to fall in line with everything else going on this week. I can assure you, that in no way was asking Rory to marry me, a play to keep this company in our family. In a perfect world, I would have married her 8 years ago."

"Mr. Huntzberger, have you had any push back from your board members?"

"No, we have not."

"Mr. Huntzberger, how does your father feel about being replaced? Is he ok with Miss Gilmore taking over his company?"

"Dad and Rory get a long very well. They've worked together before."

"Logan, we need to go." Rory whispered, seeing the clock on the wall reading 3:30."

"I'm sorry, but that is all the time that we have right now. Thank you all so much for coming." Logan said quickly, then nodded to Honor and headed out of the room with Rory. Once they were outside the door, Lorelai helped Rory into her coat, and handed Rory her purse.

"Lorelai, we will meet you all back here at 6pm." Logan said, then turned toward Rory, and gestured in Collin's direction. "Are you ready?"

"Let's go!" Collin agreed.

"Good luck!" Lorelai waved as the trio headed out of the building and through the media crowd to their waiting car.

* * *

4pm

New York Times Office Building

New York City, New York

"Miss Gilmore, thank you so much for coming." Rory's boss Stewart Carrington said as Rory walked into his office with Logan and Collin. "Mr. Huntzberger, I didn't realize you would be coming."

"It's nice to see you again Mr. Carrington. It's been a long time." Logan politely greeted the man.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you two know each other. Stewart, Logan is my fiance. And this is Collin McCrae, he's a close friend and our personal attorney."

"This isn't a legal matter Rory, there is no need to have an attorney present." Steward said looking toward Collin.

"Yes, we understand that. However, due to recent events, Collin has been with us all day." Logan told him.

"Please, take a seat. I will get another chair." Stewart said, then stepped out of the office for a brief moment, returning with a chair for Collin, then shutting the door, and taking his own seat behind the large desk in the center of the room. "Rory, it seems like we have quite the situation in our midst." Stewart started. "I received quite a few emails both last night, and this morning with your name in them."

"I am very sorry about that Stewart. I had no idea everything would blow up the way it has."

"Rory, the last time I talked to you, you were expecting to be released from medical leave, and excited to come back to work. But then I suddenly got a message from you asking for a leave of absence due to personal and family circumstances."

"Yes, my father in-law suddenly had a heart attack the other day. He is still in the hospital, and in time is expected to make a full recovery. Unfortunately, it will be several months before he is back to his normal routine. I asked for a leave of absence so that I am able to help out where needed."

"I am very sorry to hear that. Please give Mitchum my sincerest apologies and let him know that I wish him the best. He is a good man."

"Thank you, we will." Rory smiled.

"Rory, I am quite concerned with what I have been hearing about you in the last 24 hours. Rumor has it that you have tried to overthrow HPG, murder the CEO, and all kinds of other things. Now I like to think that in the 3 years that you have worked here, I have gotten to know you pretty well, and I am fairly certain that these rumors are all false."

"Yes, they are." Rory smiled as she shook her head. "I am so sorry you are having to deal with this. Things have gotten extremely out of hand. But I can assure you that it is all being handled."

"We just left a press conference at HPG. We addressed all of the issues, and the media circus should be dying down." Logan added.

"As nice as that sounds, here at the New York times, we don't like our reporters being news fodder. It is your job to bring the news to our readers, not to be the news yourself. But today's news is quite unusual. It isn't every day when we hear that one our own reporters is taking on a new role as CEO at another company. And it is especially concerning to hear that the company is one of our direct competitors."

"I am so sorry for not coming to talk to you first, this all happened so quickly. But I can assure you that it is a temporary position, just to help out Mitchum while he is unable to leave the hospital."

"Now I can understand that on a personal level. Helping out family during difficult times is very important, and awfully noble of you. However, on a business level, we have a major problem . . ." Stewart said opening a file folder on his desk. "Rory, correct me if I am wrong, but this is your signature . . ."

"Yes, it is." Rory answered.

"Rory, did you read the paperwork that you were signing when you were hired here at the New York Times?"

"Yes, I did."

"So then you are aware that this paper that you signed here is what is known as a non compete contract."

"Yes, I am."

"Rory, do you know what a non compete contract is?"

"It is a contract stating that during my employment, and often even after, for a specified amount of time, I am not permitted to work for any competitors of the New York Times."

"And there lies our problem . . ." Stewart told her.

"I am so sorry, it didn't occur to me when everything happened the other day that I would be in violation of my contract with you. Everything happened so quickly and I don't think any of us thought about anything other than making things easier on the family. I sincerely apologize. I would have come to talk to you immediately had I actually been more aware of the extenuating circumstances."

"Rory, you are an excellent journalist, and I have truly enjoyed having you on our staff for the last 3 years. However, you just said yourself, that taking the position of CEO with HPG, violated your contract with the New York Times."

"Yes, I understand. I was made aware of that a few hours ago. I did not realize it until after your phone call, and I spoke to Logan and Collin. I am very sorry."

"So then you understand that at this moment, I have no choice but to terminate your employment here."

"Unfortunately, I do."

"I am very sorry Rory. And because of your contract violation, you are not eligible for any severance pay."

"I understand."

"Alright. Then I just need your signature on this termination contract, then I need to get your press credentials, and building access card from you, then you are free to clear out your desk. Normally I would have security escort you from the building, but I don't feel that it is necessary at the moment. I just ask that you please be quick and professional about it."

"I am more than happy to do that for you. I am so sorry Stewart. I wish the circumstances were different. I have truly loved my job here. Thank you for everything that you have done for me these last few years." Rory said as Stewart set the termination paperwork in front of her. Rory quickly signed her name, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a lanyard with her New York Times ID card, and also her building security pass attached, and set them on the desk in front of her.

"Thank you Rory. I am very sorry to see you go, but I am sure I will be hearing great things about you in the future."

"Thank you Stewart." Rory said as she stood up, then turned to leave the office with Logan and Collin right behind her.

"I don't want to cause a scene by being here, so I will wait in the hallway. Collin, would you mind going with Rory to get her things?" Logan asked.

"No problem."

"We will just be a minute. I don't have much here." Rory told him, then headed down the hall with Collin at her side.

"You doing ok?" Collin asked as they walked toward Rory's office.

"I will be. You've gotta fake it til you make it, right?"

"Something like that." he agreed with a small smile. "Just keep in mind what I said about buying this place. It will only take me one phone call to have things set up."

"Oh Collin. You and your extravagant spending habits really need to part ways." Rory chuckled. "What would you wife and child say?"

"My child is barely a year old and would probably think that I bought her a present. And my wife would be ok with it because it's 1, not my money, and 2, because I did it for you. Stephanie really misses you."

"I miss her too. Let's set up dinner or something really soon. I can't wait to meet your daughter! Logan has told me so much about her." Rory said as they walked into her office where she saw a box sitting on the chair behind her desk. Rory quickly placed the few pictures from her desk into the box, then opened the drawers and removed her snack stash, and a few other personal things, adding them to the box as well.

"Is that the picture from the LDB event?" Collin asked noticing the picture he had taken of Logan and Rory when they had landed following their jump off the scaffolding tower.

"It's a reminder that facing my fears is much better than hiding from them, and that sometimes they lead to really amazing places."

"It is also a picture of the man who up until just a couple of weeks ago, you had been broken up with for 9 years."

"That was a very important moment in my life."

"You haven't been back in this office since your accident, right? Since BEFORE you and Logan ever spoke again."

"Your point?"

"That you've had that picture on your desk of your ex boyfriend, who was fighting himself not to kiss you at the moment I clicked the shutter button. Has this been on your desk the entire time you've worked here?"

"Collin . . ." Rory started.

"So that's a yes."

"Why do you care anyway?"

"I don't. It's just that Logan is my best friend, and I know how much losing you nearly killed him."

"Logan broke up with me, remember?"

"You turned down his marriage proposal."

"Because I wasn't ready. But I never wanted to break up. I never wanted to loose him. He's the one who walked away."

"And you've been pining for him this entire time."

"Collin . . ." Rory sighed. "You don't know what you are talking about."

"Rory, you and I may not be the closest of friends, but you forget how well I know you. You wear your heart on your sleeve. I've always known how much Logan means to you. Don't worry, I won't tell Logan about this . . . But just for the record . . . He didn't date at all the entire time you guys were apart. Finn and I tried our damnedest to get him to get back out there, but nothing we did ever worked, because none of the girls we threw his way, could ever hold a candle to you. Logan loves you more than I think even he knows. Please don't hurt him again."

"I promise to do my best." Rory told him giving Collin a brief hug. "Let's get out of here. I feel like getting some ice cream."

"I think that is a great idea!" Collin agreed. "I know the perfect place!"

"Hey Collin . . . Thank you for always being there. For me and for Logan."

"No problem. I'm texting Stephanie to meet us at our favorite ice cream place across town.

"I am so excited! Let's go!" Rory said excitedly as Collin reached into his pocket for his phone, while following Rory out of the office.


	16. Chapter 16

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I am currently re-reading everything that I have thus far, making edits and changes, and publishing each chapter as I go. I have quite a bit written so far, but I am also dealing with some writers block, so hopefully by re-reading and editing everything, I'll figure out where to go with this and get it finished. If anyone has any ideas of something they would like to see happen, please feel free to let me know.

* * *

6:00pm

Columbia Presbyterian Hospital

New York City, New York

"I'm so sorry you guys!" Rory said walking into the hospital waiting room with Logan, to meet her Mom, Grandpa and Honor. "I needed ice cream after loosing my job, so Collin had Stephanie and the baby meet us at our favorite ice cream place in town, and I know you've been waiting for us, and you are probably all starving. I am so sorry!"

"Don't even worry about it. We had those sandwiches that Sookie sent after the press conference. We're fine." Lorelai told her.

"Honor, have you told Dad the plan yet?" Logan asked.

"No, I have not. I was waiting for you. I thought it would be easier if we did it together." Honor answered.

"Ok. Lorelai, Richard, why don't the two of you decide where you would like to go for dinner, and we will go as soon as we are done here. My treat." Logan told them. "Honor, text Josh to meet us."

"No problem!" Lorelai smiled.

"We are going to head in to see Dad then. We'll keep it as short as we can."

"Take your time. We are fine right here." Richard told him

"Rory, give me your things. I'll take care of them while you're in there." Lorelai said holding her arms out for Rory's jacket and purse.

"Thanks Mom. I really appreciate it."

"Did things go well at the Times?"

"Yeah. Everything is good. I just needed some ice cream. There are cookies and brownies for you in my purse."

"Good girl!" Lorelai laughed, opening up Rory's purse and pulling out the treats. "Dad, we've got chocolate!"

"Rory, you are our favorite person today!" Richard told her as Lorelai handed him a brownie.

"You guys enjoy your treats. We'll be back shortly." Logan told them, then took Rory's hand and lead her and Honor to the security doors leading to the CICU, where Logan pressed the buzzer to get in.

"Can I help you?" a voice came over the intercom.

"It's Doctor Huntzberger. I don't have my badge on me." Logan said then heard the lock on the door click, and the automatic doors opened granting their entrance.

"It's just like the Wizard Of Oz." Rory said as they stepped through the doors

"Hi Belinda. How's my dad doing?" Logan asked, stepping up to the large nurses station just passed the doors.

"He is doing well Doctor Huntzberger. We gave him the soup you had brought in for lunch, and he really seemed to enjoy it, so we just gave him another bowl for dinner. There are several different kinds in the bag that was brought in. They smell delicious!"

"Maybe I'll see if he will let me try some. My fiance had those made just for him by a chef she knows back home. Has Dad give you guys any attitude today? Has he been unpleasant at all?"

"Not that I've heard. He's slept and watched tv a little bit. Your sister was here with a visitor earlier."

"Yes, Mr. Gilmore is on my approved list. Thank you for monitoring everything for me. Have you had anyone else try to call or get in who wasn't on my list?"

"A few people with the last name Huntsberger called, and one came by. Security took care of the one who came by. He was pretty irate."

"I'll talk to security and find out who it was. Thank you Belinda."

"Do you want to add your guest to your list?"

"Oh, I am so sorry. Belinda, this is my fiance, Rory. Rory, this is nurse Belinda. Rory is already on the list."

"I'm sorry, it is so nice to meet you Rory. Doctor Huntsberger, I had no idea you were engaged."

"That's ok, it's only been 24 hours." Honor explained. "Word is still getting out."

"Oh! Well congratulations!" Belinda told them.

"Thank you so much!" Rory smiled. "It is nice to meet you Belinda. Thank you so much for taking care of Mitchum today."

"It's my pleasure." Belinda told her. "Doctor Huntsberger, would you like your father's chart?"

"That would be great." Logan said taking the folder that Belinda held out for him. "Thank you so much! Did Doctor Levan leave for the day?"

"He did."

"Who is doing rounds tonight?"

"That would be Doctor Johnson."

"Would you mind asking him to stop in when he has a moment?"

"No problem. I will send him a message right now."

"Thank you so much Belinda!" Logan said, then headed to Mitchum's room with Rory and Honor right behind him.

"Hey Dad, Logan and Rory are here." Honor said as they stepped into the small room and saw Mitchum sitting up in bed, eating his soup.

"Hey Mitchum, how are you feeling?" Rory asked.

"I'm ok. Not too bad today." Mitchum answered.

"How is your soup? Is it alright?"

"It is actually the best soup I've had in years! Please tell your chef thank you for me."

"I will. I am so glad you like it!"

"What kind of soup are you eating now?" Honor asked.

"I think It was labeled tomato bisque."

"You had chicken curry or something earlier, right?"

"I think so."

"My mom said that Sookie made you four or five different kinds, so you have a lot of options." Rory told him.

"Please tell them thank you for me. This is delicious."

"I will. Sookie is amazing! She has been cooking for me my entire life. Maybe when you are released from the hospital we can go have lunch at the Dragonfly one day."

"That would be nice. Thank you Rory."

"Dad, I hear you are doing well today. Thank you for being so pleasant to all the staff. I really appreciate your cooperation." Logan told him.

"Son, you are treating me like I am a two year old. I am a grown man, I don't need a babysitter."

"With all due respect dad, I know you. You had a heart attack just a few days ago, and left to your own devices, you would already be back at work, and well on your way to your next cardiac surgery. As your son, and your doctor, it is my job to make sure that you get the treatment that you need, and that you are fully recovered before returning to your normal stress filled life. Now, with that being said, do you want to tell me why you never told any of us about your heart problems for the last 8 or so years?"

"Logan, I am an adult. I can take care of myself."

"Dad, I was handed your past medical records today. Would you like to explain to me what I read, or would you like me to start making calls to all of your doctors and have them tell me why you have been refusing treatment?"

"I have a company to run Logan. I travel a lot. I don't have time to go sit in a hospital having all kinds of unnecessary testing done."

"Unnecessary testing . . . Dad, come on! This heart attack could have been prevented had you actually listened to your doctors and taken the medications they gave you. Had you actually listened to them, and gotten the testing, you wouldn't be sitting in a hospital bed right now, and Rory wouldn't have just lost her job by voiding the non compete contract she signed with the New York Times, 3 years ago. Because you didn't listen to your doctors, and you decided to hide all of your medical problems from Mom, Honor and I, we are all here right now, and having to figure out how we can best help you, and keep the company running while you recover."

"Rory, you lost your job? Would you like me to make a phone call?" Mitchum asked.

"Thank you, but I'm ok. Everything is fine."

"Rory lost her job because she took over for you at HPG. She signed a non compete contract when she started at the Times, and by working for a competitor like HPG, she voids her contract, and wasn't even eligible for severance. Everything is fine, of course, because having your job, Rory can now buy the Times if she wanted to. But whenever you are eventually released and able to return to work, and no, it won't be any time in the next several months, Rory won't ever be able go to back to the Times. So thank you Dad. You ignoring your heart condition essentially cost Rory her job because she had to take over yours." Logan explained.

"I've been wanting to buy the Times for years. Maybe it's time I finally did it."

"Dad, I hate to be the one to tell you, but you aren't doing anything! I have taken full control of every aspect of your life. Until further notice, you can't get a single phone call, or have a single visitor that I haven't approved. I have your phone and your computer. And I had the phone in this room removed, so you can't even make a call outside of this hospital, without me knowing about and approving it. You not only aren't buying the New York Times, but you aren't doing a single thing other than laying in this bed and doing exactly what the staff at this hospital tell you to do. I am your puppet master, and you are going to sit here quietly, and recover from this heart attack, whether you like it or not!"

"Logan, I am 67 years old, and I have been running my own company since I was 25. You don't get to tell me what to do. Especially after you completely bailed on the family to go to medical school!"

"Actually Dad, that is EXACTLY why I get to tell you what to do! I have the medical degree, NOT you! I am calling ALL of the shots here, NOT you! The only choices that you will be making for the next several months, is what you would like to eat, and if you are lucky, whether or not you want to watch tv. You aren't going to push me on this Dad. We are doing this to help you!"

"Ok, let's all calm down here." Honor told them, stepping between Mitchum and Logan. "Logan, you know that raising your voice to Dad when he is recovering from a heart attack, isn't helping anything.

"You're right. I'm sorry Dad." Logan said taking a step back.

"It's been a really long day for all of us. We all just need to calm down and take a chill pill, ok? Now Dad, Logan, Rory and I are handling all of your work obligations. Rory isn't working for the times anymore because she is the new Mitchum. Logan and I are getting her all settled in at the office. She's got a personal assistant, and we've got everything handled. We met with the HR and PR teams this afternoon, and had a press conference where we announced everything that was happening. Everyone sends you their best wishes for a speedy recovery. But as of right now, the three of us have it all handled. We are meeting with your care team next week to get a plan put in place for you, to ensure that you are fully recovered before we allow you to go back to work. We love you, and we are doing this for your own good, so please, don't fight us on this because you will not win."

"Honor is right, Mitchum. We want you to take all the time that you need to recover from the heart attack, and get all the care that you need to get your health back on track. We are all concerned with your heart condition, and we are doing everything we can to help you. I will do everything I can to ensure that everything with the company keeps running just as you left it. Everything is going to be ok, as long as you stick to your treatment plan, and not worry about anything except your own recovery." Rory told him.

"Rory, I have a lot of traveling coming up in the next couple of months. All of the end of year stuff needs to be taken care of."

"I know it does. And I promise you, I've got it covered. I will take care of everything, and if I get stuck and need advice, I will come to you. But you need to trust that I can do this. Your only job right now is to do exactly what your doctors and Logan tell you to do. Let me handle the business. I know you didn't raise me in this business the way you did Logan, but I'm a Gilmore, and I take after my Grandpa. You have nothing to worry about."

"And Logan and I are going to be there with Rory to get her acclimated, and help with whatever she needs. I may have taken a backseat to all things newspaper, but I will step up and be Rory's right hand if that is what it takes." Honor told him.

"Dad, I'm sorry I got upset." Logan said stepping up next to Rory, and putting his arm around her. "I shouldn't have raised my voice to you, and I apologize. You're my Dad, and you are going through a lot right now, just like we are. I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you. I am very sorry."

"It's fine Logan. Like it or not, you take after your old man." Mitchum told him in a much calmer voice.

"Look . . . I know this whole thing is going to be hard for all of us. Mom is off at a spa, and Honor, Rory and I are scrambling to take care of you and everything that you do. It's almost amusing that it is taking three of us to replace you right now. But we are doing it. I just really need you to help us out by taking it easy, and focusing all of your energy on your health. You have a heart condition, and we are very lucky that this heart attack didn't kill you, and even luckier that this heart attack happened now, and not years ago when we would have been much less prepared and able to take over so quickly and effectively. And we are even luckier that I am a doctor and can oversee all of your care, and make sure that you get the best possible treatment that money can buy. I am doing everything I can to take care of you, and make sure that you get better. I know that you weren't thrilled when I bailed on the family and went to medical school, but I hope that you can now see just how much having a doctor in the family benefits you. You got your heir to the newspaper dynasty in Rory, so you really have it pretty good when it comes to us."

"And you got it even better than you think you do Dad, because Rory isn't the slacker that Logan is. Rory will actually work, and get the job done instead of taking off in the middle of the day to go play with her little friends. Just think, how many times have you been completely pissed off at Logan for slacking, and wanted him to step up and actually get some work done? You don't have to worry about that with Rory!"

"Oh come on, that was years ago! I haven't been a crazy slacker in about a decade!" Logan told them.

"Honor does have a point there. Rory is definitely a much harder worker than you are." Mitchum agreed.

"So then you know that you have nothing to worry about with Rory taking over for you. You know that she will do whatever it takes to keep the company running better than you left it. And Honor and I will help her with whatever she needs."

"I will even travel with Rory while Logan is working, so she isn't alone." Honor offered.

"That will actually be good. All that travel can get lonely." Mitchum told them.

"Good! It's settled then! You are going to focus on getting better and Logan Rory and I are going to take care of everything else. Isn't it great having three kids instead of just two?!"

"Rory, welcome to the family. I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner." Mitchum told her. "We are lucky to have you."

"Yes we are." Logan agreed, kissing the side of Rory's head.

"I see Logan gave you my mother's ring."

"He did. Thank you Mitchum, it's beautiful. I am honored to wear it."

"My mother would have liked you. You are a lot like her, always standing up for what you believe in. The two of you are the only women who have ever put me in my place."

"You will have to tell me more about her after you get to feeling better." Rory told him.

"Dad, we are going to get your care plan together next week." Logan told him. "Honor and I are thinking about getting you into a special rehab resort, maybe out in California where the weather is nice. We will find a treatment plan that works for you so we can get you back to your best self. We'll get you on a great diet and exercise regime, and get your heart 100% taken care of, so we don't have to worry about you having any more problems, ok?"

"I guess you know what is best."

"I do, and I won't accept anything other than what is best for you. But I need you to fully commit to getting better, and follow all of your doctors orders. Can you do that for us?"

"I'll see what I can do."

"Ok. Good deal. I'm going to see if I can get you a little treat for being so cooperative today."

"Can I ask you guys something, and get an honest answer?"

"Sure Dad."

"Has the media circus set in since I've been here?"

"Would you like to see pictures?" Rory asked.

"How bad is it?"

"They're outside your house in Hartford, both mine and Logan's apartments here in the city, my grandmother Francine's Hartford house that no one even lives in, and they've surrounded both the HPG building and this hospital."

"And there is a small group at my house too." Honor added.

"But you guys are dealing with it." Mitchum nodded.

"It should be dying down now. We met with the HR and PR teams from both HPG and the hospital today, and we had a nice press conference announcing the changes, and squashing the rumors that Rory and I tried to put a hit out on you." Logan told him.

"I take it one of your uncles told the press that you tried to kill me."

"Pretty much! Supposedly the engagement caused your heart attack." Honor told him.

"12 years ago, it probably would have."

"But you like Rory now. She is a great addition to our family."

"I've never not liked Rory. I'll admit that I didn't always think she was what was best for this family. But she's changed all of that. Rory makes Logan a better person, and I am a big enough person that I can appreciate that."

"Rory makes all of us better people Dad. Even you." Honor told him. "You might not see it that way right now. But you will soon enough. Rory is who is best for all of us. This family needs her."


	17. Chapter 17

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I am currently re-reading everything that I have thus far, making edits and changes, and publishing each chapter as I go. I have quite a bit written so far, but I am also dealing with some writers block, so hopefully by re-reading and editing everything, I'll figure out where to go with this and get it finished. If anyone has any ideas of something they would like to see happen, please feel free to let me know.

* * *

11pm

Huntzberger Estate

Hartford, Connecticut

"Today has been beyond exhausting!" Rory said walking into Logan's bedroom and collapsing on the bed.

"Yes it has." Logan agreed kicking his shoes off, then emptying his pockets out onto the dresser, "It was really good to see Stephanie and the baby though.

"Little Valerie is so adorable! She looks exactly like Stephanie."

"They spoil her rotten." Logan laughed. "That little girl has Collin completely wrapped around her tiny little finger."

"As she should! I'm glad Collin and Stephanie finally worked things out. They fought their feelings for way too long."

"The same could be said for a couple of other people that we both know . . ."

"Collin and I talked about that today."

"You did? When did you have time for that?"

"At the Times office, while we were getting my things."

"What brought that on?" Logan asked.

"He noticed a picture that had been on my desk. One that reminded me that facing my fears can lead to some pretty amazing things."

"What picture was that?"

"Just one that he took at an LDB event."

"Ok, I'm going to need a few more details here." Logan chuckled.

"It's a picture of us when we landed after jumping off that scaffolding."

"I remember that day. I wanted to kiss you really bad."

"That's what Collin said."

"You've had that on your desk?"

"For the last three years."

"This picture?" Logan asked pulling a small picture from his wallet that he had just set on the dresser.

"Yeah . . ." Rory answered with a soft smile.

"It's been in my wallet for over a decade."

"We are kind of pathetic."

"I wouldn't say pathetic. I would say sentimental . . . He probably told you about my wild dating history while we were apart."

"Just a little bit."

"I had medical school to focus on."

"Dating is over rated anyway." Rory told him.

"I think we probably deserve each other."

"Maybe just a little bit." she agreed as Logan sat down on the bed next to her.

"I'm sorry I walked away at your graduation. I've kicked myself every single day since then."

"We wasted a lot of time."

"I agree."

"Hey Logan . . . Can I ask you something?"

"You know that you can ask me anything." Logan said giving Rory a quizzical look.

"I know I said that I wanted to wait . . . But . . . how much trouble would be be in if we got married right now? Like what if we ran away tonight?"

"Are you asking hypothetically, or do you actually want to do it?"

"I don't know . . . I mean, you know me, I plan everything. I analyze it all to death! Nothing I do is spur of the moment. But I don't know, some small part of me just wants to marry you . . . Like right now . . . Is that too crazy?"

"What's crazy is thinking that I won't go along with it."

"I know we told my mom that we would have dinner with her on Saturday . . ."

"And we can still do that." Logan said reaching for his phone, and quickly sending a text.

"What are you doing?"

"Being irresponsible."

"What?"

"You said you want to get married right now, right?"

"And I asked how much trouble we would be in IF we did."

"Screw the trouble! Grab your bag."

"Where are we going?"

"We're getting married. Our families can kill us later."

"Logan, be serious."

"Rory," Logan started, as he sat his phone down on the bed next to them, ,and reached for Rory's hands. "You just said that part of you wants to just run away and get married. So let's do it Rory. We jumped once before. Let's do it again."

"You know that our families are going to completely flip out, right?"

"You take me for somebody who cares . . . You said that you wanted to go, so let's go. Don't tell me that you are analyzing this to death all of a sudden. Come with me Rory. Let's be crazy together. We would have already been married by now anyway had I not been so stupid and walked away from you all those years ago. So let's go get married. We don't even have to tell anyone if you don't want to. We can get married, and then come back, and not tell anyone. Just act like nothing ever happened, and carry on with planning a wedding after my Dad is doing better. Or . . . We can go get married, and tell everyone after we get back. Let them all be as pissed as they want. We can always plan a big event for everyone else later on."

"Logan, this is completely crazy."

"So let's go! The jet is waiting." he said getting up from the bed, pulling Rory up with him.

"But where are we going?" Rory asked as Logan slipped his shoes back on, and grabbed the bags Finn and Lorelai had packed for them that afternoon.

"Ever been to Saint Croix?"

"Nope."

"Well, you won't be able to say that in another 6 hours." He told her. "Turn off location services on your phone. We don't need your mom seeing where we're at and completely freaking out."

"That's a really good idea." Rory said as she followed Logan out of the room.

"We fly into Saint Croix tonight, landing right at dawn. As soon as the local magistrate's office opens in the morning, we go in and get a marriage license. We can get married right away, either right there in the office, or on the beach if you want to. Then we spend a magical day right there on the island. Saturday morning, we get back on the jet and fly back here just in time to have dinner with your mom as planned. We can tell our families if you want to, or we can wait and tell them later on. After that, we can jump back on the jet, and take off anywhere we want to go. We can go to Hawaii, or even to Greece if you want to. We'll go away for a week, and wait for the media circus to fully die down. Then we'll come back, and dive into getting you settled in at HPG. How does that sound?"

"It sounds absolutely amazing, and completely irresponsible." Rory said as they walked into the garage, and Logan put their things into one of his father's cars, then moved to the small safe on the wall, and opened it up to get the keys he needed.

"It sounds like a crazy Logan Huntzberger adventure. Only now, it's a Logan and Rory adventure." Logan said gently kissing Rory, then helping her into the car. "We'll be married before lunch time tomorrow."

"I can't wait!" Rory said as Logan closed her door, then walked around to his side of the car, and got in, hitting the button to open the garage door so they could leave the house for the last time as an engaged couple.

* * *

Friday October 7, 2016

9:00am

Superior Court of the Virgin Islands

Christiansted, Saint. Croix

United States Virgin Islands

"Hey Logan . . . Call me crazy, but what do you think about getting married at midnight?"

"If that's what you want." Logan said as he filled out the marriage application and license paperwork.

"I think it is."

"I'm sure we can arrange that. Any specific reason?"

"Kind of . . ."

"Are you planning to tell me?"

"Well . . . I know things have been really insane lately, and it never actually hit me until I just saw the date . . ." Rory said watching as Logan stopped what he was doing, and looked up at her as everything suddenly clicked in his head.

"Ace, it's your birthday!"

"I can't believe it even happened, but with everything that has been going on lately, I completely spaced it! I didn't even realize what day it is until just now. Like how lame am I for completely forgetting that my birthday is tomorrow! No wonder my mom wants to have dinner with us. She's probably planning some kind of surprise birthday party for me."

"I am so sorry, I can't believe that I spaced it either! I knew that your birthday was coming up really soon, but we've been so busy this week, that it completely slipped my mind. I am so sorry Rory! Of course we can get married on your birthday. That sounds really perfect actually!"

"I think it's the best birthday present ever." Rory said with a beaming smile.

"Let's finish up here, and then we will go do some shopping and celebrate your birthday. Then tonight, we will get married on the beach at midnight."

"That sounds magical!" Rory agreed. "I love you so much!"

"I love you too Ace." Logan said kissing his fiance, then going back to the paperwork he had been working on.

* * *

11:00pm

Carambola Beach Resort

St. Croix

US Virgin Islands

"Logan, it is so beautiful here!" Rory said standing out on the balcony of their hotel room, looking out over the beach.

"We can come back and spend the next week here, if that is what you want to do."

"I thought we agreed to have a working honeymoon? Fly to London, take a couple days to ourselves, check in on the offices there, then go to Paris, Italy and Rome?"

"Are you sure that is where you want to go?"

"I think we are being irresponsible enough running away to get married without telling anyone when there is so much work that needs to be done."

"But being irresponsible is so much more fun than working, Ace." Logan said kissing her neck. "Besides, why should we ever have to leave the hotel room unless we want to?"

"You are a really bad influence, did you know that?"

"I've heard some talk about that."

"Does HPG have a newspaper here?"

"I believe that we do."

"Then I guess we will have to come back to check on it, now won't we?!"

"That is very true." Logan agreed.

"Do we need to get going soon?"

"We probably should within the next half hour. Are you excited?"

"Only very! But my mom is going to completely freak!"

"Let's not think about that right now. All that matters at this moment, is us. It's your birthday, and it is my job to make it the most amazingly magical birthday that you have ever had!"

"Just being with you is more than enough."

"Are you sure that this is what you want to do? Because if you want to, we can cancel everything and go back to Hartford tomorrow and carry on with life as we know it. No harm, no foul."

"No, Logan. Don't even think that. With everything that has happened this last week, the only thing that I am sure about, is being with you. I do want to marry you. And as much as I would love to have that big society wedding with all of our friends and family, I think the anxiety attacks that would come with it are definitely not something that I want to deal with. Just the anxiety attack I had yesterday was more than enough for me. It really put some things into perspective . . . After everything that I've been through lately, every single one of the challenges, the one thing that I am most grateful for, is having you there with me. And the last time that I was this happy, the last time that I can remember actually smiling, and enjoying my life, not having this gnawing emptiness in the pit of my stomach, the last time that I truly actually fully enjoyed my life, was my life with you at Yale. I don't want to go home to New York by myself, back to that empty apartment. When we go back to New York, I want it to be together. We've waited so long already. 3 years at Yale, and 9 years since . . . Your Dad may not be better for another 6-12 months. Do we really want to wait 13 years to be together? Because you know that it will be at least another year while our families plan that big lavish wedding that we both know they want. Do we really want to wait that long?"

"The three years at Yale were long enough, but these last nine, have been nothing short of excruciating."

"Realistically, anyone who questions why we ran away to get married, clearly doesn't know us very well."

"Oh, I fully agree! Why do you think I asked you to marry me so soon after getting back together? Did you know that the day you came into the ER, I asked your Mom if it was ok if I asked you to marry me again?"

"You did? When?"

"Not in those exact words, but yeah. You were asleep. Passed out from the medication we gave you before your MRI. Your mom and I had a nice talk. She said that as long as our relationship is what you want, then she is ok with us being together."

"My mom really seems to like you now."

"Well I've always really liked her."

"Part of me feels like we should tell her that we are getting married tonight."

"Do you want to call her right now?"

"What do you think?"

"You and Lorelai are really close. If you want to call her, then we should call her. But you need to make a decision really soon because it is just about time to go."

"Maybe we can just text her."

"Do you really think that it is a good idea to tell your mother via text message, that we a getting married?"

"No, that is right up there with her voicemail to Grandma when she married Dad."

"I fully agree with that." Logan chuckled. "If you want to text your mom, why don't you just send her an I Love You text before we go."

"Will you take a picture with me?"

"I would love to. Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?"

"You did. But I never get sick of hearing it." Rory told him, snapping a quick selfie as Logan kissed her. "Ok, now smile." Rory said, snapping another picture.

"Are you ready to go?"

"I am. I love you, and I can not wait to finally be your wife!"

"I can't wait for you to be my wife either."

"Will you take my phone? I don't have any pockets."

"Of course. Now let's get going, we have somewhere to be."

"Let's go!" Rory agreed, taking Logan's hand, and allowing him to lead her out of the room.

Ten minutes later, Logan led Rory onto the beach outside of their hotel, and down to a spot next to the water that they had visited earlier in the day.

"Mr. Huntzberger, Miss Gilmore, is this everything that you asked for?" a man from the hotel asked.

"It's everything and more. It looks gorgeous! Thank you so much!" Rory gushed happily.

"This is perfect, thank you." Logan told him.

"We are ready to proceed if you are."

"Rory . . ." Logan started, turning to look Rory in the eyes. "Ace, this is your last chance to back out. We don't have to go through with this, if you don't want to."

"No, I want to, unless you don't want to." Rory told him.

"No, Ace, of course I want to. There is nothing that I want more."

"Ok, so let's do this then."

"Ok." Logan smiled, then turned back to look at the group from the hotel that were waiting on them. "We're ready."

"Alright then. Right this way." The man said, leading them a short distance away to where there was soft music playing, and roses placed in the shape of a heart, in the sand. "You can stand right here, in the center. Are we ready to begin?"

"Yes." Rory said softly, as Logan took both her hands in his, squeezing them gently.

"Yes we are." Logan spoke up.

"Alright . . . We are gathered here this beautiful night, under the stars, on this sandy beach in Saint Croix, to join Logan Huntzberger, and Rory Gilmore, in the sacred bonds of marriage. Mr. Huntzberger, is there anything that you would like to say to your bride?"

"Of course . . . Rory . . . After 12 years, you are still the most beautiful woman that I have ever laid my eyes on. You are my best friend, my lover, and the only woman who I have ever wanted to spend my life with. You challenge me, every day. You make my life worthwhile. And just thinking about you brings this huge goofy grin to my face . . . My entire world shifted the day you walked into my life, and nothing has ever made sense for me unless you are there . . . Seeing you at the coffee shop two weeks ago, was magic. And every single day since then has been everything that I've been missing for the last 9 years . . . I love you so much, and I am so grateful for you and everything that you have done for me. I regret that it has taken us 12 years to get to this point, but I am so happy that we are here today, and I can not wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Rory . . . Would you like to say anything?"

"Sure . . ." Rory nodded as she took a deep breath. "Logan . . . You have been my knight in shining armor since the day I met you. We have been through so much together. Especially in the last few weeks . . . Over the last several years, I never thought that this day would come, but I still secretly held out hope. And then one day something amazing happened . . . I walked into this coffee shop with a friend, and there you were. It had been over 8 years, but there you were. And you haven't left my side since. This last week has been absolutely insane, but even during the worst of times, you've been right there with me. . . . Two weeks ago, you stitched up the holes in both my hand, and my heart. And yesterday, you literally gave me the world. I am so lucky to have you in my life, and and I can't wait to spend forever with you."

"More beautiful sentiments have never been spoken. Do you have rings?"

"Yes, they're right here." Logan said reaching into his pocket, and pulling out a small box, handing it to the officiant.

"Now, if you will place this ring on your bride's finger, and please repeat after me. I, Logan Huntzberger, take you, Rory Gilmore, to be my lawfully wedded wife."

"I, Logan Huntzberger, take you, Rory Gilmore, to be my lawfully wedded wife." Logan repeated, gently sliding the ring onto Rory's hand, joining it to her engagement ring.

"To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, all the days of my life."

"To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, all the days of my life." Logan smiled brightly as he held Rory's hands in his.

"Now Rory, if you will take this ring, place it on Logan's finger, and repeat after me." the officiant began. "I, Rory Gilmore, take you, Logan Huntzberger, to be my lawfully wedded husband."

"I, Rory Gilmore, take you, Logan Huntzberger, to be my lawfully wedded husband."

"To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, all the days of my life."

"To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, all the days of my life." Rory repeated in an excited voice, sliding the gold ring onto Logan's finger.

"Now, by the power invested in me, by the United States government, and the island of Saint Croix, it is my pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride."

Logan immediately pulled Rory into his arms, kissing her as passionately as he could.

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Huntzberger." the officiant said when they broke apart. "We wish you all the best in your new journey through life."

"Thank you." Rory smiled at the officiant.

"Yes, thank you all so much!" Logan echoed. "We greatly appreciate everything!"

"It was our pleasure. You two have a wonderful rest of the evening."

"So, what now?" Rory asked as she walked hand in hand down the beach with her new husband.

"It's your birthday, we can do whatever you want, for the next 8 hours."

"It is so peaceful here, I almost wish that we could stay here forever."

"We could, but something tells me that you wouldn't enjoy the hurricanes very much." Logan laughed.

"I think you're right." Rory said as she stopped walking, and looked out over the ocean.

"Are you happy Ace?"

"Are you kidding me? I just got the greatest birthday present ever! I am so happy!"

"Good. Then I've done my job."

"Are you happy though?"

"Why would I be anything less than happy? I just married the most incredible woman in the world! There is nothing else that I could possibly ask for, than would make me any happier than I am right now. Except maybe cake . . ."

"YES! Cake would be awesome right now!"

"Come with me." Logan said tugging on Rory's arm, and leading her back to the hotel, and up to their suite. "Close your eyes." Logan said as they stood outside the door.

"Why?"

"Just because . . . Please?"

"Fine." Rory agreed, stealing a kiss, then closing her eyes.

Logan opened the door to their suite, then scooped Rory up, and carried her inside, kicking the door closed behind them.

"Ok, you can open them now." Logan told her, gently setting her back on the floor.

"Oh my gosh! Logan! How in the world did you pull this off?!" Rory asked as she looked around the room, seeing a large banner that read 'Happy Birthday Mrs. Huntzberger', and on a table below it sat a small chocolate cake and a vase of red roses, with a bouquet of balloons floating up from the floor next to it.

"Happy Birthday Ace!" Logan said gently kissing her.

"Logan, this is all so incredible! Thank you so much!"

"I would do anything for you Rory. You know that."

"You are so amazing! Will you hand me my phone? I need to take a picture of all of this before we dig into the cake."

"Here you go." Logan said, reaching into his pocket and handing Rory her phone. Logan watched as she moved through the room taking pictures of the banner, cake, flowers and balloons. Rory's excitement was infectious.

"Should we cut slices, or just dig in with forks?" Rory asked a moment later, after she had satisfied her need for pictures.

"Whatever you want to do. Forks is fine with me. It's a small cake. We will probably eat the whole thing.

"Come on, let's go eat it outside."

"You want to eat your cake outside?"

"It's so nice out, and we are leaving in the morning. Let's go enjoy our one night here, while we can." Rory said picking up the cake and forks, and heading for the balcony door.

"As you wish!" Logan agreed, following Rory outside.


	18. Chapter 18

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I am currently re-reading everything that I have thus far, making edits and changes, and publishing each chapter as I go. I have quite a bit written so far, but I am also dealing with some writers block, so hopefully by re-reading and editing everything, I'll figure out where to go with this and get it finished. If anyone has any ideas of something they would like to see happen, please feel free to let me know.

* * *

Saturday October 8, 2016

3:00pm

Hartford, Connecticut

"Hey Mom, it's me! I just called to let you know that we are on our way. We should be there within the next hour. I'm not sure why I am leaving a message on your voicemail, so I'll shoot you a text. See you soon." Rory said, then disconnected the call.

"Wow, your mom really didn't answer?"

"It's weird, right?!"

"She's probably just busy. You know how your mom gets when she's up against a deadline. I'm sure she's rushing to put all the finishing touches on whatever party she has planned for you."

"Probably." Rory agreed. "How soon do you think we should tell her?"

"I think she might notice the rings pretty quick, so right away might be the best idea."

"That is exactly what I was thinking. I just need her to answer the phone."

"Have you tried Luke?" Logan asked.

"That's a good idea. Luke always knows how to track down Mom." Rory said, quickly dialing Luke's cell number.

"This is Luke!" Luke's gruff voice came through the phone.

"Hey Luke, it's Rory."

"Hey Rory! Happy Birthday!"

"Thank you! Hey, we are on our way to meet you guys for dinner, but I can't get a hold of Mom. Is she with you?"

"She's not, but I can go track her down for you, if you need me to."

"I don't want to ruin the surprise that I'm sure mom has planned for me, but we have some news that we need to share with you, and it's kind of important."

"Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, of course! It's just something that we need to tell you, and it wouldn't be appropriate to do with an audience."

"Gotcha . . . I don't want to ruin anything either, so why don't you come into town the back way, and meet us at the house. I'll go find your mother, and head home right now."

"Thank you Luke! We really appreciate it!"

"No problem Rory. We'll see you soon." Luke said, then disconnected the call.

"Hey, it's going to be ok." Logan said, reaching for Rory's hand. "I know you're nervous. But she can't really be upset with us when your mother did the exact same thing."

"I know. I'll just feel better once she knows." Rory told him.

* * *

45 minutes later Lorelai was pacing around her living room as Luke sat on the couch watching.

"Rory really didn't tell you anything?"

"Only that she had some news to tell us."

"Did she say if it was good or bad news?"

"No, only that it wasn't appropriate to share in front of an audience."

"Did she give you any clues or anything?"

"Not a one. But I'm pretty sure that you are about to find out." Luke said hearing a car pull up outside.

"You don't think that Mitchum suddenly died, do you?"

"I doubt it. Plus, she would probably tell you that over the phone."

"Gah, I hate surprises!" Lorelai said frustratedly as she headed for the door, with Luke following behind her. "Hey there birthday girl!" she greeted her daughter and Logan as they got out of the car. "Happy birthday!"

"Hey Mom! Hey Luke!" Rory greeted them.

"I hear you've got some big news to share with us?"

"We do! And we brought you a present!"

"A present? For me?! It's not MY birthday, you silly girl!"

"I know, but you deserve presents sometimes too." Rory said stepping into the house with Logan behind her.

"So what have you two been up to since I last saw you?" Lorelai asked as they all walked into the living room.

"Here, open your present." Rory said handing Lorelai a small wrapped gift.

"Ok? I can't believe that I am getting a present on your birthday. I won't lie, I kind of like it. It kind of makes those 19 hours of labor a little more worth it!" Lorelai said as she ripped the paper off of her present, and opened the box. "You guys, it's beautiful! This is a great picture of you! Thank you so much!"

"So this isn't just any picture . . ." Rory told her.

"Ok? Well, it clearly isn't a booking photo."

"No, definitely not a booking photo." Logan chuckled.

"So this was taken last night, just after midnight." Rory started.

"Is that a beach in the background?"

"It is. Logan and I took a quick trip to the Virgin Islands."

"That sounds so fun! You should have told me, we could have rescheduled today."

"I know, but it's my birthday, and we both know how much you love birthdays, and we wanted to spend it with you."

"So you went all the way to the Virgin Islands, for just one day?"

"Pretty much . . ." Logan commented.

"It's so pretty there! You would love it Mom!"

"So why did you guys go all the way to the Virgin Islands, for just one day?" Luke asked.

"Well . . . We went to get married . . ." Rory told them.

"It was a spur of the moment thing. We were sitting at my parents' house in Hartford after the longest day on the planet, and Rory suddenly asked me just how much trouble we would be in if we just ran away and got married. So as crazy as it sounds, we just did it. I chartered the company jet, and we took off to the closest tropical island that we could get to without flying for 12 hours." Logan explained.

"After everything that has been going on lately, and then everything that happened on Thursday, I realized that it's already been 12 years. And had I said yes to Logan back at Yale, we would have already been married, at least 8 years ago. I just didn't want to wait any more, and I'm sorry we didn't tell you, but I just wanted to do it. I wanted to be happy. And I knew that you would understand, because you've been there. You did the same thing one time. We love you Mom. We would have loved to have had you guys there with us. But we can still have the big fancy wedding here, with all of our friends, and you can plan the entire thing however you want. We are so sorry you weren't there, but we are so happy Mom. And we really want you to be happy with us."

"Oh Rory . . ." Lorelai started, pulling her daughter in for a hug. "I could never be mad at you for being happy. Plus, like you said, I did the exact same thing." she laughed. "Yeah, I wish that we had been there with you, to see you get married. But as long as you are happy, we are happy for you. Congratulations Honey!"

"Really? You mean that?" Rory asked as Lorelai loosened her embrace.

"We love you guys. This is wonderful news!"

"Congratulations you two! Welcome to the family Logan!" Luke said giving Logan a manly hug, then hugging his daughter.

"Thank you Luke!" Rory said sincerely. "We have pictures and a video to show you. They're in the car."

"So when and where did you get married?" Lorelai asked.

"On the beach in Saint Croix, at midnight last night." Rory answered.

"Wow! It sounds beautiful!"

"It really was! Maybe we can all go back there one day?"

"I would love that!" Lorelai told her. "This picture is beautiful! It's going on the mantle."

"That is the perfect place!" Rory agreed. "And Mom . . . I'm serious about letting you plan a big fancy wedding, if that is what you want to do."

"I think we might have to. You know that your grandparents are going to completely freak out when you tell them."

"They might murder me."

"Odds are . . ." Lorelai chuckled. "I guess it's a good thing that I didn't invite them tonight, because I was going to . . ."

"You were going to invite them to dinner?"

"Well, it might be just a little bit more than just dinner . . . And you might have just a little bit of explaining to do to a few people."

"How many people?" Rory asked.

"Hey, you brought this on yourself kid! This is what happens when you suddenly decide to run away and get married without telling anybody."

"How many people?" Rory asked again.

"It might be a good idea if we facetimed your grandparents first . . ."

"Do you think that's safe?"

"Do you want them to find out through the grapevine?"

"Fine!" Rory relented reaching into her purse, and pulling out her phone, then moving to the couch to sit down. "Who's phone should I call, Grandma or Grandpa?"

"I would probably go with Grandpa. He's the more stable of the two."

"Let's get this over with." Rory grumbled, pushing a few buttons on her phone, then waiting as the video call connected.

"Rory! It is so nice to see you! Happy birthday Honey!" Richard said upon answering the call.

"Thank you Grandpa! Hey, is Grandma with you? I have some exciting news to tell you!"

"She sure is. She's right here. Emily, it's Rory. She says she's got some exciting news to tell us." Richard said looking across the room toward his wife. "Where is Logan today? I thought he would be spending your birthday with you."

"He is. He's right here." Rory said moving the phone a little bit to include Logan in the picture.

"Hey Emily, Richard." Logan smiled.

"Logan! Hello! Rory, Happy birthday honey! I hope you are having a good day!" Emily greeted them.

"Thank you, it's been a wonderful day! I have some exciting news to tell you!"

"Oh really?" Emily asked.

"So Logan and I took a last minute getaway yesterday, to the little island of Saint Croix."

"That sounds like so much fun! It is absolutely beautiful there! Are you having a good time?"

"It was amazing!" Logan told them.

"We are back home now, but we wanted to tell that we are so sorry that we didn't include anyone, but after 12 years, we just decided that it had been way too long, and we didn't want to wait anymore, so last night, just after midnight, we got married out on the beach. We have pictures, and even a video to share with you. And we know that you are disappointed that we ran away without telling anyone, but you and Mom can still plan that big elaborate society wedding that we know everyone is expecting of us. But honestly, all of that just isn't me, and I am so happy Grandma! We are so very happy! And we really want you guys to be happy with us!"

"Wow!" Richard reacted. "That is huge news! Congratulations you two!"

"Thank you Grandpa!"

"Congratulations Honey!" Emily said with a forced smile. "We are thrilled that you guys are happy. Disappointed that we weren't able to be there, but we are happy for you none the less."

Thank you Grandma!"

"We are sorry we didn't tell anybody." Logan told them. "With everything that has been going on, especially the last few days, it was a total spur of the moment thing. But we definitely want you to plan the big wedding that you've always envisioned for Rory. Plan it for any time in the next year. You and Lorelai can have free reign. Just tell us where to show up."

"Thank you Logan."

"We love you guys so much! Can we come by tomorrow? We'll bring pictures and the video to show you." Rory asked.

"Of course you can. Why don't we do dinner? We can all celebrate. Invite your mother and Luke too." Richard told them.

"That sounds perfect! Same time as usual?"

"Same time, same place." Emily agreed.

"Ok, we will see you then. Bye guys!" Rory said, then disconnected the call.

"Wow! You got off so easy!" Lorelai told them.

"I know." Rory sighed. "But I have a feeling that tomorrow night, we are in for a good lecture."

"Probably . . ."

"At least you'll be there. You won't let her kill us."

"Sure. Like I'm good protection." Lorelai laughed as there was a knock on the door. "So I'm thinking that before we go to your birthday dinner, you need to share your news with a few other people . . ."

"How many other people?" Rory asked.

"Just 3. And they're kind of family." Lorelai told them as a few guests joined them in the living room.

"Hey, we've been summoned. What's going on?" Christopher asked, following Honor and Josh into the room.

"Dad! Josh, Honor, what are you guys doing here?" Rory asked, shocked to see them.

"Are you serious? You didn't think that we would forget your birthday, do you?! Happy birthday Kiddo!"

"Thank you!" Rory said getting up off the couch to hug her father. "I had no idea that you guys would be here!"

"Well we came to surprise you. Surprise!"

"Happy birthday Rory!" Honor said giving Rory a hug.

"Thank you guys! I am surprised you are here, but so glad to see you!"

"So why have we been summoned?" Christopher asked again.

"Rory and Logan have some news. I figured they should tell you guys before we get any further into tonight's festivities." Lorelai explained.

"Ok? Rory?"

"I can't believe that I am doing this for the third time in under ten minutes." Rory said looking to Logan, then back to the people in front of them.

"I'll take it this time." Logan said slipping his arm around her. "We just wanted to share with you guys that we took a little trip yesterday, to the island of Saint Croix. And last night, at midnight, we were married out on the beach. We are very sorry that we didn't tell anyone, but we've already told Lorelai that her and Emily can still plan the big elaborate wedding that everyone is expecting of us. But we are really happy, and we want you guys to be happy with us."

"Wow! Congratulations!" Christopher told them. "You are definitely a chip off the old block there, kiddo!"

"Yeah, I guess so." Rory agreed. "And we have pictures and a video that we want to share with you guys too. They're out in the car."

"Congratulations!" Honor said excitedly hugging her brother and Rory. "I should be furious that you guys didn't invite me, or at least tell me, but let's be realistic, this has been a very long time coming!"

"Thank you!" Logan told her.

"Congratulations Logan! Rory, welcome to the family!" Josh told them.

"Thanks Josh!" Rory smiled.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you need to tell Mom and Dad." Honor told them. "Before they find out on the news or something."

"I know." Logan agreed. "But this isn't really something that you tell your parents over the phone."

"Well, not Rory's parents anyway. But our parents haven't exactly always been there. I mean come on, mom is at a spa, and Dad is on lock down at the hospital." Honor told them.

"So we shoot mom a text message?" Logan asked.

"I think that might be wise. We can shoot her a text to call us when she has a moment. But we should call Dad. I honestly don't think that he will be too upset."

"Why don't you guys make that call right now, because we've got a birthday celebration to get to." Lorelai told them.

"I'll make the call." Logan said reaching into his pocked for his phone, then heading into the kitchen where it was quieter.

"How mad do you think your dad is going to be?" Rory asked Honor once Logan was gone.

"I don't know. There is really no telling with him. But hey, if he has another heart attack, at least he's already in the hospital, right?"

"Do you know how many times we've said the exact same thing lately?"

"Hey, it's true though. And this is probably the easiest that you guys will ever get off on this kind of thing. It's perfect timing!"

"I feel kind of bad though."

"Don't feel bad. All my parents care about is that big society party. You got to get married in peace, on a beautiful tropical beach. I am actually kind of jealous. Josh, next time we should run away like Rory and Logan did."

"Next time?" Lorelai chuckled.

"Yeah, you know, in our next life after my mother kills us all, and then brings us back to life, to kill us again." Honor explained.

"You really think that it is going to go that badly?" Rory asked timidly.

"It's a definite possibility."

"I'll be back." Rory said, then headed to where Logan had retreated.

Do you really think your parents are going to be that upset?" Lorelai asked.

"With Dad . . . He'll be most pissed about no prenup. But Mom . . .I've been doing my best to get her to lay off and finally give Rory a chance. But she's still mom. I finally told her the other day, that Rory is a Hayden. She of course didn't want to believe it, so I told her that she could call either you or Emily to confirm the information. Hopefully that will soften the blow a little bit, but there is still no telling with her. She's basically a loose cannon."

"Great . . ." Lorelai sighed. "That is exactly what Rory doesn't need right now.

"Well, there is good news with that too." Honor told her. "Logan is really good about standing up to Mom and Dad. Him and Rory are going to be just fine. Logan doesn't have much contact with them lately anyway. Things will be weird for a while, but Logan has Dad on lock down, so it's not like he can do anything about anything that is going on, even if he wanted to."

* * *

"Hey Babe. Is everything ok?" Rory asked, finding Logan leaning over the sink with his head down.

"Uh . . ." Logan started, but stopped to take a deep breath, slowly letting it out as he turned to face Rory. "I really want to tell you that things are fine . . . But I won't lie to you . . ."

"Is there anything that I can do to help?"

"No . . . They're my parents, it's my job to deal with them."

"Wanna tell me what happened?"

"Shira is just being Shira."

"What about your Dad?"

"Oh, Dad is fine. Really fine. Like eerily fine. He's actually happy for us. He asked that we go to see him tomorrow."

"Interesting . . ."

"Exactly! That was way too easy! Mom acted exactly the way she always has. She was completely predictable! I fully expected her reaction. But Dad? . . . He didn't even rip into me about no prenup!"

"Maybe he's trying to turn over a new leaf? Maybe the heart attack changed him? Major medical problems tend to do that. Plus, you've got him on lock down. He literally can't do a single thing, including make a phone call, without your permission. You never know, maybe after everything that has happened lately, and our little talk the other night, maybe your dad is actually happy for us?"

"Maybe . . . But what if he's bluffing?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. Something just doesn't feel right. This isn't like my Dad."

"Well, I guess we will just have to go see him tomorrow. But Logan . . . Right now, can we just try to focus on being happy?"

"There is nothing that I want more, than for us to just be happy. And going to the city tomorrow won't so bad. We need to get more clothes anyway. And I was thinking that maybe we can look at places to live."

"Places to live?"

"We are married now, and we have two apartments between us. Originally, I was thinking that we can consolidate down to one. But then I was thinking that it might be nice to just start fresh with something of our own."

"You're serious?"

"Let's go do this celebration thing with our family, and then tonight we will get online and look at our options."

"That sounds perfect!"

"I agree. So let's go celebrate you."

"Ok." Rory agreed with a smile.

"I love you Ace. No matter what happens with my parents. I love you, and you are all that matters to me."

"I love you too." Rory said as Logan wrapped his arms around his wife, pulling her in to a kiss.

"Hey, you guys! We need to get going!" Lorelai called through the house as she headed into the kitchen to check on Rory and Logan. "Well hello there love birds!" she chuckled. "Normally I would tell you to get a room, but first of all, EEEWWWW! Mommy really doesn't want to know about any of that. And second, we're running late! Break it up, we've gotta go." Rory smiled at Logan with a small chuckle, then turned toward her mother.

"Just one question . . . I know that you are up to something." Rory told her. "Luke told us to come into town the back way. There is a party in the square, isn't there?"

"You suck! Just please do me a favor?" Lorelai requested.

"Try to act surprised?"

"By George, I think she's got it!"

"We'll fake it, don't worry."

"I know you will. And Rory . . . Sharing your news with everyone, it's up to you. Nobody will say a word unless you want us to."

"Can we see how it goes?"

"Of course. This is your news to share. You guys can share it when you're ready. But just a heads up . . . Word of your engagement has gotten around."

"Thanks Mom."

"You're welcome baby girl. I just want you to be happy." Lorelai said reaching out for Rory, and pulling her into a tight hug, then also reaching for Logan. "I love you both, ok? And don't worry, I meant what I said out there with Luke. I'm not mad at you guys. A little sad that I wasn't there. But you are both completely right, this was a really long time coming. And as long as my baby girl is happy, that makes me happy, ok?"

"Thank you Mom." Logan said wrapping and arm around each of the Gilmore women, seeing Lorelai's smile brighten. "I love you too."

"He called me Mom!" Lorelai gushed as tears suddenly formed in her eyes.

"Yeah, well, I kind of remember you telling me a couple weeks ago that I need to."

"I'm glad you are part of our family now. You are exactly what my little girl needs. I am excited to have you as my son."

"Do you mean that mom?" Rory asked with tears in her eyes, as she stepped back to look at her mother.

"I really do. I am so proud of you baby girl!"

"Thank you Mommy!" Rory said throwing her arms around her mother. "Thank you so much for everything!"

"Lorelai, can I ask you something?" Logan asked.

"Of course! Ask away!" Lorelai said as she let go of her daughter, and took a step back.

"Can I have another Mom hug?"

"I would love that!" Lorelai told him as tears started streaming down her face. "You can have a mom hug whenever you want one."


	19. Chapter 19

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I've been re-reading and editing everything, publishing each chapter as I go. However, this is the last chapter that I had pre-written, so there may be a lack of updates for a while. I'll be writing whenever I can, and get new chapters up as soon as I have them ready, but this next week may be pretty slow for updates as I have a lot of stuff on my calendar.

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews this weekend. I love reading what you have to say, and for those who have pointed out things that I have overlooked, thank you, I've made adjustments. Both me and my editor seem to have missed a few things, but thank you for pointing them out.

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

* * *

Saturday October 8, 2016

5:00pm

Stars Hollow, Connecticut

Luke and Lorelai escorted Rory, Logan, Honor, Josh and Christopher as they all walked through the streets of Stars Hollow, on their way to the town square for the party that was waiting for them.

"Oh holy crap! Mom! You did all of this?!" Rory asked as the square came into view.

"I might have had some help." Lorelai admitted

"We all helped." Honor spoke up. "We wanted your birthday to be special."

"It looks beautiful! Thank you so much!" Rory said as they walked the final block to the square.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone in attendance screamed as the family crossed the street, stepping into the town square.

"Wow! This is incredible!" Logan told them.

"And just think, this is your FIRST Lorelai Gilmore party." Rory excitedly told him.

"Hey Rory! Happy birthday!" Sookie said hurrying over to the group.

"Thank you Sookie! And thank you for all of this! I know you had a big hand in all the planning and set up."

"Hey, you know me, it was my pleasure. I enjoyed doing all of it. Plus, you know that I would do anything for you. You're family."

"Thank you Sookie! You are so amazing! Actually, can I tell you a secret? But you can't tell anyone right now except Jackson."

"Of course! My lips are sealed!"

"Logan and I got married last night." Rory whispered in her ear.

"No way!? Congratulations Honey!" Sookie squealed loudly. "I am so excited for you! So your mom knows?"

"Of course! We told her and Luke first. Then Grandma and Grandpa, Honor, Josh and my Dad. And Logan's parents we just called. But that's it."

"Wow! That is so amazing Sweetie! You will have to give me all the details later on."

"We definitely will. Mom has a picture on the mantle."

"Well I can't wait for you to tell me all about it! I know you have a ton on your plate lately, your mom told me about your new job. But do you maybe have time for breakfast sometime soon?"

"Um, I think we can do that. Hey Mom!" Rory yelled across the way to her mother.

"Yeah, what's up?" Lorelai asked, stepping up to Rory and Sookie. "What's going on?"

"Do you think that maybe Logan and I can stay at the Dragonfly tonight? We were going to go back to Hartford tonight, but we need to go to the city tomorrow anyway. And Sookie wants to do breakfast soon, so we can catch her up on everything, so I was thinking maybe we could stay if you have any rooms?"

"Uh yeah, you can have the bungalow suite. Your dad has a room upstairs and I might have given Honor and Josh your bedroom at the house. But you can stay in the bungalow, or if you want, you can take the apartment over the diner?"

"The bungalow sounds perfect! Thank you Mom!"

"No problem. So breakfast at the Dragonfly tomorrow?"

"Yes! For sure! I told Sookie . . ."

"You did?"

"Of course! She's family."

"Don't worry Lorelai, my lips are sealed." Sookie told her.

"Please, it's not you that I am worried about at all." Lorelai laughed. "I'm actually really glad that she told you because now I don't have to worry about slipping up."

"We'll bring the pictures and video with us to the Dragonfly." Rory told her.

"I can't wait!" Sookie said excitedly. "Now go enjoy your party. There will be plenty of time for us to chat later."

"Definitely! Thank you again Sookie! You too Mom! You two are such an amazing team. In a way I've always felt like I have two mothers with the two of you. I love you both so much!"

"And now I'm crying!" Sookie laughed as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Thank you Honey! Come here, I need a hug."

"I love you Sookie! Thank you so much for everything over the years. Having you in my life has meant so much to me!"

"You are so welcome Sweetie! Now go! You are turning me into a blubbering mess!"

"Ok." Rory agreed letting go of Sookie, and squeezing Lorelai's hand, then walking away to find her new husband in the the crowd of people.

"So Lorelai, how does it feel?" Sookie asked after Rory was gone.

"Surreal. I can't believe it. But I really do actually like him now. He's been amazing to Rory."

"I'm so glad that you don't hate him anymore."

"He actually grew up! He's a doctor now. It's what every mother wants for their little girl."

"She seems so happy. Happier than I've seen her in years!"

"She really does, doesn't she?!" Lorelai agreed.

"Hey, there you are!" Rory said finding Logan in the middle of a large group of people in the middle of the party. "What's going on?"

"I think I'm trapped." he whispered in her ear.

"Rory, Darling! You've got yourself such a handsome young man here!" Miss Patty said loudly.

"Thank you Miss Patty! I definitely agree!"

"Any wedding dates picked out yet?"

"Uh, not yet. But we'll let you know."

"Well you know we all expect an invite!"

"Don't worry, we promise you will get one!" Rory said as Logan snaked his arm around her waist.

"Rory, We hear that Logan here is a doctor?" Gypsy asked.

"Yes he is."

"You must be so proud!"

"Thank you, I am!"

"How did you two meet?"

"We went to Yale together. I brought him home once before, remember the hay bale maze?"

"Oh come on, who could possibly forget the hay bale maze?" Miss Patty laughed. "Half the town was having allergy attacks for weeks!"

"See, that's why you should let my mom plan all the town events, instead of Taylor!" Rory told them.

"I agree! That is a great idea!"

"You should go try to convince her." Rory said, shooting an evil smile her mother's way.

"Yes we should! Come on Gypsy. Let's go find Lorelai. Happy birthday Honey!"

"Thanks Miss Patty!"

"Happy birthday Rory!" Gypsy added.

"Thank you Gypsy!"

"You really think that's a good idea?" Logan asked after they were gone.

"Hey, I saved you, didn't I?!" Rory asked.

"You did. And I am very grateful!" Logan said giving her a gentle kiss. "Should we go find some food? I'm sure you are probably starving by now. We haven't eaten since this morning."

"Yes! Most definitely! I hope Luke is grilling. I need a cheeseburger!"

"Um, Rory . . ." Logan said pointing to a table across the way from them.

"Oh my gosh! Is that?!"

"It looks like a wedding cake." Logan said seeing the gigantic cake displayed in all of it's magnificent glory.

"Sookie has definitely out done herself!" Rory said as they got closer to get a good look.

"Wow!" Logan said taking a good look at the huge 8 layer cake in front of them, covered in a gorgeous design of colorful icing and flowers. "This is the most incredible cake that I've ever seen!"

"Every layer is a different flavor." Jackson said stepping up next to them. "Sookie wanted to do something really special for you. Happy birthday Rory! And congratulations to both of you!"

"Thanks Jackson!" Rory smiled. "Sookie is so talented!"

"Yes she is! Every cake is masterpiece."

"How long have Mom and Sookie been planning this?"

"Just since Thursday afternoon."

"They did all of this in just two days?!" Logan asked.

"Oh, this is nothing! You should see what they can do if you give them a full week!" Jackson told him. "I hope you guys are hungry. Luke is grilling and there is all kind of food. Sookie has been making all of Rory's favorites."

"Ok, now THAT I am excited for!" Logan told them.

"Well go get yourselves some food! Let me know what you think later on, ok?"

"We will. Thank you Jackson!"

"Happy birthday Rory!" Jackson said, then turned and walked away.

"Rory Gilmore, you have so much explaining to do!" a voice said behind Rory as she and Logan filled their plates with food a couple of minutes later.

"Oh my gosh! Lane! I am so glad you are here!" Rory gushed seeing her best friend. "I have so much to tell you!"

"I just saw you the other day, and then a couple of days later I get a text message saying that you are engaged, and then I hear about this fancy new job that you suddenly got . . ."

"And that's only about half of it!" Rory laughed.

"Oh gosh, there's more?!" Lane asked.

"What can I say, my life is never dull!"

"How are you doing Lane? It's been a really long time." Logan said with a smile.

"I'm doing great! It has been a long time. You look incredible! Rory was telling me that you're a doctor now."

"I am. For a few years now."

"Wow! That is so cool!"

"Lane, come sit with us. I have so much to tell you!"

"Yes, most definitely!" Lane said following her friends to a table in the corner of the square. "Rory, I'm dieing to see your ring!"

"There is actually more than one. Logan gave me the ring he bought me back at Yale, and then gave me his grandmother's ring too." Rory said holding out both of her hands toward her friend.

"Oh my gosh! These are gorgeous!" Lane gushed. "Wow! I just love all the sparkles! . . . Hold on a second . . . Rory, there is an extra . . . And Logan has . . ." Lane started noticing the extra ring on Rory's left hand, then noticing the ring on Logan's finger. "Are you already . . ."

"That is what I needed to tell you." Rory said softly. "But it's still a secret."

"Holy cow!"

"I know!"

"But when?!" Lane asked.

"Last night."

"Last night!?" Lane asked in a completely shocked voice.

"It's kind of a long story. But it happened on a beach in Saint Croix."

"Wow! That sounds so romantic!"

"It was. It was just after midnight, and the weather was so nice, everything was beautiful, and completely perfect! It was amazing!"

"Congratulations! Are there pictures?"

"They're at my mom's. I have a couple on my phone, but there are too many people here. You should come over later though. There is a video too."

"Oh, I am so there! I can't believe it . . . And on your birthday too! That is so amazing!"

"It's everything I've ever dreamed of and more!" Rory told her.

"I am so happy for you Rory!" Lane said pulling her best friend into a tight embrace.

"Thanks Lane!"

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"I know. You are the very last person that I am worried about. You can tell Zack of course. I would never ask you to keep anything from him."

"And I would never ask you to keep anything from Logan either."

"Well thank you, I appreciate that." Logan told her.

"I am just so happy for you guys! Rory is my very best friend, and I hate to say it, but it's been years since I have seen her this happy."

"I've been hearing that a lot lately." Logan laughed.

"You two are just so perfect together."

"Well thank you!" Rory told her.

"So tell me about this new job. Your mom said something about you taking over Logan's family's company?"

"I did. That is kind of a long story too. Logan's dad had a heart attack the other day."

"Oh no! Is he ok?"

"Yeah, it'll just be a long recovery. Logan is forcing him to actually take care of himself, so he won't be able to work for several months. Logan bailed on the family years ago and has no interest in ever going back to that company, and getting sucked back in."

"Plus, he's a big shot doctor now!" Lane added.

"And Honor didn't want to step up to run the place. She has no experience in the area. So Logan asked if I would step in. I have a ton of experience, and he seems to think that I can do it. We've had to deal with a huge media mess lately because of it though."

"I saw that. You were on tv, being followed for like 2 days."

"It's completely insane, right?! And I'm sure that as soon as word gets out about . . ."

"Omg, you know that they'll come right back with a vengeance."

"Right?! That's why we're keeping it quiet for right now. Plus, Mom and grandma are going to be planning a big society type wedding after Mitchum is doing better. Logan and I just didn't want to wait that long, you know?"

"Well yeah! It's been how many years now?!" Lane asked.

"Right!? See, you get it!"

"I do. I totally get it! Logan originally asked you to marry him, what, like ten years ago?"

"Nine." Logan interjected.

"Exactly! It's been way too long. I wouldn't be able to wait any longer either. Part of me is sad that I wasn't there, but I am so happy for you! You guys deserve this!"

"Well, you'll be there next time. Maid of honor, right? Please say yes!"

"Well, yeah, of course!" Lane agreed. "You were mine, so it's only fair!"

"Well I won't be surprised if Grandma and Logan's mom try to turn it into some big media showcase."

"Turn what into a media showcase?" Honor asked, sitting down at the table next to lane.

"The wedding." Logan told her.

"Oh yes, the wedding of the golden boy will most definitely be a media showcase!"

"Lane, have you met Logan's sister Honor?"

"No, I have not. Hi Honor, it is so nice to finally meet you!" Lane said reaching her hand out toward Honor. "I'm Rory's best friend Lane."

"It's nice to meet you too. I've heard a lot about you."

"I told Lane about last night." Rory said looking toward Honor.

"Oh, excellent! We are all watching that video tonight, right?"

"Oh, it's mandatory! I already told Lane that she has to come over."

"I am so excited! I can't wait to see it! I can't believe that you didn't tell me about it sooner though. I'm normally the one person you call with all of that stuff." Honor said elbowing her brother.

"If it makes you feel better, I didn't call anybody. I texted Dad's pilot asking where the closest tropical island was that we could get to in only a few hours. He's literally the only person who had any knowledge of anything. But even he didn't know the plan. He just flew us there and back."

"Oh, that is so romantic!" Lane swooned.

"Logan has always been so sweet like that. But he usually lets me help, so I at least know what is going on, and he has someone to cover for him, and post bail when he needs it."

"And this is why I've always wished that I had a sister!" Lane told them.

"Eh, they're pretty over rated!" Logan laughed.

"Hey, you take that back! I've been nothing but good to you all of these years! You wouldn't have made it through middle school without me!" Honor defended herself to her little brother.

"No, I wouldn't have made it past age 2 without you."

"And you had better remember that! You need me!"

"See! I never had that growing up! It's unfair that I missed out!" Lane told them.

"Yeah, but you and I had each other, Lane. And we did pretty good together."

"That's true! You've always been there when I needed you."

"And you've done the exact same for me! It's always been you and I Lane. Now it's just you, me, and the 4 boys."

"And how completely weird is that?!" Lane laughed. "I can't wait for you guys to have kids someday!"

"Me either!" Honor agreed.

"Hey there Shuga! I've been looking all over for you!" another voice said joining the group at the table.

"Hey Babbette! Thanks for coming!"

"Oh you are welcome honey! Happy birthday!"

"Thank you Babbette! Where's Morey at?"

"He's around here somewhere." Babbette said taking a seat at the table next to Honor.

"Babbette, you remember Logan right? This is his sister Honor." Rory said introducing them.

"We met last night." Honor told her. "Thank you so much for all of your help with the decorations today!"

"It's no problem! I've lived next door to the girls forever. Rory is practically a daughter to me. I'd do anything for her!"

"Babbette, you are so sweet! Thank you!" Rory told her.

"Rory, your Momma says that you are getting married?"

"Apparently that's the rumor."

"So it's not true then? You're not getting married? But I thought this was a birthday and an engagement party?"

"No, Babbette, it's true. There is just a lot going on. We just don't have any big plans made yet. Logan and Honor's dad is in the hospital recovering from a heart attack, and I'm just starting a new job. It's going to be a while before we start making any plans."

"You can always do what I did, and run off and elope on an island somewhere."

"You know, that does sound tempting!" Logan chuckled as Rory elbowed him.

"Where did you elope to?" Honor asked.

"We went to Tahiti! Oh, it was just gorgeous there! Beautiful beaches, with white sand as far as the eyes can see!"

"It sounds lovely!"

"We'll have to go there someday." Rory told her. "We have a business trip coming up, but maybe in the next few years we'll be able to go."

"Where are you headed to on business?" Honor asked.

"We need to go check on the London office, get a little bit of face time in. Then stop into the Copenhagen office too. Then we were thinking of stopping off in a couple of other cities. Extending the trip into a mini vacation." Logan told her.

"And when are you leaving?"

"In the next few days. We need to go see Dad tomorrow, and do a few other things in the city. Then we have dinner with the Gilmores tomorrow night."

"Bring me back some chocolate from that factory I like?"

"Don't I always?" Logan asked.

"When will you be back?" Babbette asked.

"I'm not sure. I guess it kind of depends on work stuff. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully it'll only be a week or so." Rory told her.

"Well you have a safe trip Honey!" Babbette said as she got up from the table. "I'll catch up with you later. I need to keep myself moving. Too much sitting is never good at my age."

"We'll see you later Babbette."

"So this is a working honeymoon?" Honor asked.

"Something like that." Logan laughed.

"Damn she knows you well!" Lane told them. "Rory, do you see how well Honor reads her brother? She knows everything that he's up to!"

"I know, it's awesome! I'm still learning how to do that."

"I hope you guys have the best time! Where all are you planning to go?"

"I want to hit Paris, Rome and Italy."

"I absolutely LOVE Paris, Rome and Italy!" Honor told them. "If it was just a work thing, I would ask to tag along."

"Honor, you have the freedom to travel wherever you want to, whenever you want to." Logan told her.

"I know. But someone needs to keep an eye on Dad while you're gone. And there is never any telling what Mom will get up to with all the stress of everything going on lately. Someone needs to keep mom out of the psych ward. But I'm sure that you guys will have a great trip. Plus, I'm sure I'll get to go to some cool places soon enough. I'll be traveling with Rory when you are working, remember?"

"That is true. And our plans aren't set in stone yet. We just started talking about this today."

"You should go on your honeymoon. You are totally right about the other offices needing to be checked up on. And getting away right now is the perfect time. Do you need me to watch Rocky?"

"No, but thank you. He's with Collin and Stephanie. Finn picked him up when everything blew up the other day."

"Speaking of Finn . . ." Rory said pointing across the square.

"I'll go." Logan said getting up from his seat. "It's your birthday. You should enjoy the party."

"We just need to hire Finn a babysitter." Honor told them.

"I thought that's what Collin was for." Rory agreed.

"Yeah, me too." Logan said kissing Rory on the forehead, then heading toward where Finn was standing looking around the party.

"Hey Lane, where are your boys?" Rory asked.

"Um . . . Over by the food table with Zack, why?"

"Because I'm about to do us all a huge favor. I am hiring them to babysit Finn. Their college tuition is about to be paid!" Rory said getting up from the table and heading toward Zack and the twins.

"I'm confused." Lane said looking toward Honor.

"Logan's best friend Finn, he's pretty much a combination of a two year old and a blender without a lid when it comes to certain situations, including parties. The guy needs a babysitter most of the time, and your kids seem like they can't be easily manipulated. The way I see it, Rory offers them something they want, and then convinces them to babysit Finn and ignore everything he says with the promise, that whatever he offers them to do his own evil bidding, they'll get from her just for keeping him out of trouble. Finn has a ton of money, so Rory will probably use that against him and pay your boys out of Finn's pocket. We've all done it." Honor explained.

"Sounds interesting. Should I be worried?"

"Only if you think your boys can be easily manipulated."

"Naw, they've got my mother's evil eye on them. They'll be fine." Lane laughed. "You can't get by with much in this town, without my mother finding out about it, and everyone is terrified of her!"

"Hey Zack!" Rory said as she approached Zack and the twins. "Hey boys! I have a little proposition for you."

"Hey Rory! Happy birthday!" Zack said giving Rory a brief hug.

"Happy birthday Aunt Rory!" the twins said in unison.

"Thank you! Hey boys, how would you like to make some money?" Rory asked.

"Really?" Steve asked.

"What's the catch?" Quan questioned.

"No catch. I'll give you each $20 if you will do something for me. You see that guy over there with Uncle Logan? I need you to watch him for me, and keep him out of trouble. Don't let him do anything that you aren't allowed to do, ok? None of Miss Patty's punch, no leaving this area, no pranks. And most importantly, don't let him bribe you. Whatever he offers you to let him or you guys do something that you aren't allowed to do, even if it's money or an x-box. Whatever he offers you, as long as you tell him no, I'll make sure that you get paid anyway, ok?"

"Are you serious? So if he says that he'll buy us an x-box if we let him open all your presents, as long as we tell him no and don't let him do it, you'll buy us an x-box?"

"That's right! All you have to do is not let him do anything that you aren't allowed to do, and report everything back to me. Anything he offers you, you just tell me and Uncle Logan, and we'll make sure that you get it, ok? Can you two do that for me? Can you watch Finn?"

"You'll give us $20?" Steve asked.

"Let's go raid Uncle Logan's wallet." Rory told them, leading them toward Finn and Logan.

"Dear Sweet Rory, what do we have here? Are these children?" Finn asked as Rory approached Finn and Logan with the twins behind her.

"Babe, I need your wallet." Rory said holding her hand out toward Logan.

"Um, ok?" Logan asked.

"Finn, these are my nephews, Steve and Quan. They are your babysitters tonight. Their entire job is to keep you out of trouble, and to completely ignore everything that you say and offer them." Rory explained.

"Good deal!" Logan laughed. "How much do I owe you?"

"Aunt Rory said $20 each." Steve told him.

"I like it!" Logan said pulling his wallet out, and handing each kid a twenty dollar bill.

"Cool! Thanks Uncle Logan!" Quan said happily.

"Now remember you guys. You have to stay with Finn at all times. It is VERY important, ok?" Rory told them. "Do not let him out of your sight! Even to go to the bathroom. And whatever he offers you, what do you say?"

"We tell him no, and you'll pay us later." Steve told her.

"That's right! Now Finn, whatever you offer them, you are paying up. Logan just paid the boys, but anything else, whether it's an x-box or a million dollars, it will be coming out of your wallet, so use your riches wisely! Logan and I will be collecting for the twins later on. Do you understand?"

"You are having the children babysit me?" Finn asked. "You must be crazy!"

"Oh no, don't worry Finn. We've got this. You've got the best babysitters in town." Rory laughed. "Boys, don't let him turn you! Mrs. Kim is watching! Don't forget!"

"Come on Quan, we've got this!" Steve said stepping up next to Finn.

"Thanks boys! You're awesome!" Rory told them, then grabbed Logan's hand and pulled him away, back into the crowded party.

"You really think Finn can't sway them?" Logan asked.

"That's why I told them that Lane's mother, Mrs. Kim is watching. This is going to be so easy!" Rory told him.

"Lane realizes that their college tuition is now paid for, right?"

"I already told her."

"You're a genius, Ace!"

"I have my moments. But this one is mostly self serving."

"And how is that?" Logan asked.

"Because it frees you up to hang out with me instead of keeping Finn from destroying or buying the entire town."

"Well any time that I can hang out with you is a definite bonus for me!" Logan said kissing his wife.

"Hey birthday girl!" a voice said from behind Logan.

"Stephanie! I am so happy to see you guys! Hi Valerie!" Rory waving to Stephanie and Collin's little girl. "Thank you so much for coming!"

"You are so welcome! I love your little town. It's so cute!"

"It definitely has its moments." Rory agreed. "Where is Collin?"

"I sent him to babysit Finn."

"That is actually not necessary. I hired a babysitter of my own. Well, two actually."

"You did?"

"I bribed my twin almost 9 year old nephews. We paid them $20 each to ignore everything Finn says to them, and keep him out of trouble, with the promise that whatever Finn offers them, we'll make sure they get."

"And you're going to make sure Finn pays for every cent, right?"

"Of course! I'm not completely crazy, or stupid enough to pay them myself!"

"Nice! But question. Are you sure that they can't be swayed by Finn? I mean, he is a perpetual child!"

"Oh trust me, the boys have got this. I told them that their super uptight and uber strict grandmother is watching, and to make sure that Finn doesn't do anything that they aren't allowed to do."

"That's awesome!

"I'm pretty sure they'll be getting a new x-box by the end of the night."

"And their college tuition will be fully paid!"

"I said that too." Logan laughed. "Valerie, come see Uncle Logan!" Logan said holding his arms out for Collin and Stephanie's daughter."

"I told Lane the same thing. Someday it'll be Valerie taking all of Finn's money." Rory told her.

"Do you ever wonder if Finn does this stuff on purpose? Maybe as a ruise. A way to share with others without them realizing that he's doing it on purpose? Maybe helping in disguise?"

"I doubt it." Logan told her. He doesn't act like that while sober."

"But when is Finn ever sober?!" Stephanie asked with a laugh.

"Right?!" Rory agreed. "I'm pretty sure that I've NEVER seen him sober!"

"Finn doesn't even wake up sober in the morning. I'm pretty sure his blood type is Jamison and Brandy by now."

"Hey Valerie, let's go get you a cookie. Do you want a cookie?" Logan asked.

"Hey, can she at least eat something non sugar first?" Stephanie asked as Logan started to walk away with her daughter. "Crap! He's going to have her so hyped up on sugar tonight."

"That's the price you pay when you give the kids to the aunts and uncles!" Rory laughed. "I do it with Paris and Lane's kids all the time."

"Yeah, but they're older. You just said that your nephews are 8. My kid is just turned one a couple months ago."

"Paris' twins are only 2. I still give them sugar even when she begs me not to. It's our right as the fun non parents."

"Well just a warning then, payback will be coming! Just you wait, when you have kids, every single thing that you did that annoyed us when you decided to spoil our kids, we'll be doing right back!" Stephanie told her.

"I'll hold you to that. Come on, there is some amazing food here, you've gotta go try some of it!"

"I heard your mom planned this whole party in just two days."

"She did. It's pretty easy in a tiny town though. Just about everyone you see lives here. The only people who don't are those of us that you know."

"Wow! This is incredible! Did you see that cake over there?!"

"Sookie, the chef at my mom's inn made it. She is completely amazing!"

"You'll have to give me her info. I'll definitely use her for our next event."

"Sookie would love that!" Rory said as they followed Logan and Valerie toward the food tables.

"Oh my goodness! Who is this little angel!?" Lorelai asked, spotting Logan with little Valerie.

"This is Collin and Stephanie's little girl." Logan told her.

"Oh she is so precious! Can I hold her?!"

"Sure. I was just going to give her a cookie."

"Come her sweet baby girl! Hi my little angel! I'm Nana Lorelai! What is your name?"

"Her name is Valerie." Rory spoke up, stepping up next to Logan. "Mom, this is Stephanie. She's Collin's wife, and Valerie's mother. Stephanie, this is my mother, Lorelai."

"Hi Stephanie, it is so nice to meet you! Your daughter is just beautiful!"

"Thank you! You are too sweet! It is really great to finally meet you Lorelai! I have heard so much about you!"

"Can I just keep your little girl?! She is so precious!" Lorelai said snuggling little Valerie close. "I haven't gotten to snuggle any babies in forever!"

"Um, sure! Just let me know when you want me to take her back." Stephanie told her.

"My mom is amazing with kids! They all somehow love her." Rory explained.

"I can tell. Valerie never snuggles up to anyone like that. Only me!"

"Well I love her! I will watch her any time. You just bring this sweet angel to Nana Lorelai, and we will have a great time, won't we?!"

"That sounds like a plea for grandkids to me." Stephanie said laughing.

"She's been doing that a lot lately. She hangs out with Lane's kids, and spoils Paris' kids whenever she is in the city. And a couple of weeks ago, she was begging Logan to bring Rocky to her, just so she could play with him. I think my mother is starting to loose her mind."

"Starting to?" Logan asked.

"You two just need to hurry up and give her some babies to love on." Stephanie said nudging Logan in the side.

"Yeah, we'll get right on that. It's not like we don't have anything else going on right now." he said putting his arm around Rory's shoulders.

"Logan . . . What is that?" Stephanie asked pointing to Logan's left hand.

"Shhhhh!" Rory quickly said, making a zipping motion over her mouth.

"What?! Are you serious?!"

"Hold on . . ." Logan told her. "Collin! Come here!"

"What's up?!" Collin called back in Logan's direction.

"Come here! Geez!" Logan said, then led Collin, Stephanie and Rory across the street, and away from the party.

"Sorry, too many eyes, ears, and super big mouths." Rory told them.

"So there is a reason for the ring on your finger then?" Stephanie asked.

"Wait, what?!" Collin asked.

"Logan has a ring on his finger."

"As your attorney, BOTH of yours, WHY am I just finding out about this?!" Collin asked. "You don't go and do this kind of thing without telling me first. You both know that!"

"It just happened last night." Logan told them. "We weren't planning to hide it from you, we just hadn't gotten the chance to tell you."

"You got married last night?!" Stephanie asked.

"We flew to St. Croix. It was a spur of the moment thing."

"Who all knows?" Collin asked. "How much damage control am I going to need to do?"

"Only our families know." Rory told them. "A couple of my friends, but they're family. No one is going to say anything."

"And you think this isn't going to get out? Because let me tell you, with everything else going on right now, the media is going to be doing all kind of research on Rory, and this is bound to come out, probably within the next 48 hours."

"Well, the good news is that we got married on a Friday night, at midnight, on a beach in St. Croix, which means that the official marriage license won't even be entered into the court records until Monday." Logan told them.

"Which gives you until tomorrow to make sure that anyone who you don't want finding out about your marriage from the media, gets a phone call." Collin advised.

"Logan, I didn't even think about the media getting the records." Rory told him.

"Hey, it's fine, don't worry about it. Everyone who needs to know, already knows. We've told our families, and our closest friends, and now our attorney knows. For all I care, we can go announce it to the entire town, right now."

"You know who doesn't know though, that we do need to tell before anyone else finds out?"

"Who?" Logan asked.

"Paris and Doyle."

"Where are Paris and Doyle? I would think they should be here."

"I know, right?! We need to go ask mom."

"Well if you are planning to announce it tonight, will you please let me know first?" Collin asked.

"Of course! We're sorry we didn't tell you sooner. This is literally the first chance we got, and Stephanie noticed before we could say anything." Rory told them.

"What can I say, I am just pro at picking up on that sort of thing. Congratulations you guys! We really are happy for you!" Stephanie said reaching out to hug Rory.

"Thanks Stephanie!"

"I fully understand why you guys ran off and get married. I really do. And I truly am happy for you. I just really would like a heads up next time, before you two run off and do something that I am the one who will have to deal with the fall out on. Can you please remember to give me at least a one hour heads up next time?" Collin asked.

"Sure, but only one hour!" Logan agreed.

"Thank you! Congratulations you two. I'm glad that you are both finally happy."

"Thank you Collin!" Rory said giving him a hug. "Thank you for everything lately!"

"You're welcome. But please, I'm serious about this. I need at least a one hour window."

"We'll do our best." Rory told him.


	20. Chapter 20

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I've been working with my bff to write and edit everything, so I can get it all posted here. So thank you to her for just being her. :-D

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews this weekend. I love reading what you have to say, and for those who have pointed out things that I have overlooked, thank you, I've made adjustments. Both me and my editor seem to have missed a few things, but thank you for pointing them out.

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

* * *

"Hey Mom, can I ask you a question?" Rory asked having finally tracked her mother down at the party.

"What's up?" Lorelai asked. "Are you having a good time?"

"Yeah, of course I am! Thank you so much for this! But question; did you by any chance invite Paris and Doyle? Because they seem to be missing."

"Um, let's see . . . Did I invite my daughter's best friend to her birthday party . . . Uh, yeah, I believe that I did. I talked to them yesterday. They should be here. Why do you ask?"

"Well because Logan and I were just talking to Collin and giving him an update on things. And he happened to point out that we have less than 48 hours before certain court records become public."

"What court records?"

"The ones in St. Croix. And that if there is anyone else that we don't want finding out from the circus, we might want to tell now."

"Hold on a second, let Mommy catch up . . . The circus is getting court records from St. Croix?"

"Mom, really?!" Rory said impatiently. "The wedding." she finally whispered in Lorelai's ear.

"Oh! I'm sorry Honey, there is so much going on right now that I'm having a little trouble keeping up here."

"We need to tell Paris and Doyle, and they aren't here."

"Have you tried calling them?"

"Not yet. I wanted to ask you if they were invited before I call, just in case they don't know about the party."

"Oh, they know about the party for sure. I talked to Paris about it yesterday, and got a nice lecture about last minute invites."

"Well I didn't know, so I needed to check. So now the question is where is a nice quiet place that I can make a phone call?"

"Come with me." Lorelai said waving for Rory to follow her. "Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Honey, can Rory borrow your diner keys?"

"What's going on?"

"She needs a quiet place to make a phone call."

"Sure, of course. Here you go Rory. Just make sure to lock up when you're done." Luke said, pulling the keys out of his pocket, and handing them to his daughter.

"Thanks Luke! I'm gonna go grab Logan."

"What's going on?" Luke asked once Rory was gone.

"Paris and Doyle aren't here, and Rory needs to tell them about St. Croix before word gets out."

"Gotcha. That is probably a good idea. Didn't you invite them tonight? Why aren't they here?"

"Of course I invited them! I have no idea why they aren't here. This is so unlike Paris!"

"Hey Paris, it's Rory, where are you?" Rory asked when Paris finally picked up the phone.

"I'm driving Rory, why, where are you?"

"I'm at my birthday party, and you aren't here. I know it was a last minute thing, but my mom said that she invited you guys, so where are you? Are you coming?"

"Yeah, we're coming. Traffic has been horrendous, but we are almost there."

"Oh good! I'm so glad! I can't really have a birthday without my best friend. Can you meet me at Luke's when you get here? There is something that I need to talk to you about. You and Doyle."

"You're pregnant, aren't you?!"

"No Paris, I'm not. Or at least not that I know of."

"Well then we should probably talk about that too."

"Oh not you too. I have more than enough going on right now, don't you think?!"

"Well you aren't getting any younger!"

"Thanks for the reminder Paris! How much longer do you think it'll be before you get here?"

"Maybe another 20-30 minutes."

"Ok, I'll meet you at Luke's."

"Sounds good. Bye Rory." Paris said, then disconnected the call.

"So what's the game plan?" Logan asked as Rory put her phone back in her pocket.

"What do you mean?"

"After we tell Doyle and Paris. What is the plan? Are we going to tell anyone else, or just let everyone find out from the circus?"

"I don't really know. What do you think?"

"Well, this is Stars Hollow. It's your hometown. If you want to tell everyone, then this is a pretty good place to start."

"That's true. And it's not like anyone here gets out, so the news really won't travel very far outside town. And an added bonus is that no one has any idea who you even are. To everyone here, you are just the hot guy following me around the party."

"Can I just say that I really love the small town life? Being a nobody definitely has its advantages!"

"It really does in this situation."

"So here is something else that we need to think about . . . That 'this is me' article that you are supposed to write for release on Monday. The one we've kind of completely forgotten about . . ."

"Crap!"

"Maybe we should just announce our marriage there. That way all of the correct information gets out, and we don't have to deal with the massive media rumors nightmare."

"That is probably a good idea. Just putting it out there like it's no big deal will keep a lot of attention off of us."

"And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we probably only have about 18 hours left before we need to get the article submitted to the HPG servers for publication. Especially if we want it picked up on the AP wire."

"How long do we have if we want a Monday publish for HPG and Tuesday for everyone else?"

"I like it! HPG gets the exclusive and everyone else gets to wait a day. You're a genius!"

"So how long do we have before the article needs to be submitted?"

"I believe everything goes to print at 9pm, so I would say maybe 7ish at the absolute latest. However, we do need to make a few phone calls, and send out a notice for space to be saved for an HPG exclusive."

"Are you sure that you want to be a doctor, and don't just want to run HPG yourself? Because you are so good at it!"

"No way! I can't stand that place! HPG is all yours!"

"Logan, come on. I know that you hated being raised the way you were, and having HPG shoved down your throat your entire life. I get it. I really do. And I know how hard you've worked to make a life for yourself, away from your family. And I would never ask you to ever go back. I know how much you love your job. But babe, what if your crazy family had nothing to do with it? What if HPG hadn't been crammed down your throat since the day you were born? You are so good at running the show, meeting deadlines, directing meetings and supervising the staff. Do you think that maybe running the company might be something that you would actually like to do?"

"I honestly don't know . . ." Logan said with a sigh, sitting down on one of Luke's bar stools.

"You are an amazing doctor. But you are also such a great asset to the newspaper business. You may have put me in charge, but you've been running the show lately while I just sit back and watch. And I know that it's because I am brand new, and you are the one with all of the experience. But you are so good at it that it just makes me wonder, what if your dad hadn't crammed it all down your throat your entire life? What if you had actually been given an option like I was? Would you still be a doctor had you not been forced into the newspaper life? Or is there a chance that you might actually be happy running HPG? Because I'm pretty sure that you can have both if that's what you want."

"How would that even work? I can't have a medical career and run a major media company all at the same time."

"I don't really know, but we can figure it out. We can tag team it and run HPG together. You teach me what to do and I can run the day to day operations, and you can come in when you aren't busy and help run things behind the scenes. You can deal with the board meetings and maybe the bigger business trips. You can do the big acquisitions since you are the one with the shark experience, and I'll take care of the smaller stuff and learn by watching you."

"That sounds like me having two full-time jobs."

"Well, what if you cut back to part time at the hospital? Maybe do part time at both places? We can work something out like 3 days a week in each place and then one day free just us. You love being a doctor and I would never take that away from you. But maybe if you want to do both, we can figure out a way to work it out. I mean, realistically, you're going to be hanging around the HPG office in your spare time anyway, just to help me out. You might as well get paid for doing it."

"Ace . . ."

"Just think about it, ok? You know that I am not your father, and there is no way I will push you into anything. I'm just saying, I've been watching you run things this last week, and you are so good at it. I guess I just wonder if your hatred of the business is really an actual hatred or more of an annoyance because it was forced on you. If it is something that you might actually enjoy, you just don't want your Dad to know that you enjoy it, then we can work it out so you can do both. You don't have to do it because it's what your family expects of you, and being a doctor pisses them off. You don't have to be that person. You want me to be happy, and to live my dream of being a foreign correspondent. But I want you to have your dream too. And if your dream is being a shark business man and running this company the way you want to, without your Dad dictating your life, then I want you to have that too. I want you to have everything."

"I know you do. I'll think about it, ok? You did make a really good point. And I love that you question me and push me to be more than I am. You are an amazing person Rory."

"You married me for a reason, right?" Rory asked as Logan pulled her into his arms.

"I did. I married you because you are beautiful and the smartest woman I've ever known. No one has ever called me out on anything the way that you do."

"Well get used to it, because I know you. I know when you are doing things because you want to, and when you are doing them just to spite other people. I know when you are happy and when you are faking it for an audience. I want you to have everything. But you shouldn't have to hide from something you love just because you don't want to give your family the satisfaction of thinking that they've broken you, or that you've finally succumbed to their sick plans. If you come back to HPG, I want it to be because it's what you want, and I want it to be on your terms. That company was always meant to be yours, and I wouldn't dream of taking it away from you."

"Will you please just shut up and kiss me now?" Logan asked, crashing his lips into his wife's.

"Hey guys, can we at least keep it a PG rating in here?" a voice asked a couple minutes later.

"I married her, I'll make it an R rating if I want to." Logan said still kissing his wife.

"Logan!" Rory scolded him, quickly pushing him away, and turning to face their guest.

"Doyle, did he just say what I think he said?!" Paris asked as she walked through the door with a child in her arms.

"I do believe he just said that he married her."

"Rory Gilmore, you got married without telling your best friend!?"

"Well, that's one way to break the news." Rory laughed as Logan pulled her into a seated position on his lap.

"Logan, you've got some lipstick." Doyle said motioning to the side of his mouth. Rory quickly turned and wiped at Logan's mouth, then grabbed for a nearby napkin dispenser to check her own reflection. "So you two ran off and got married? I knew you wouldn't last!" Doyle laughed. "Where'd you go? Vegas?"

"St. Croix." Logan told him.

"Damn, I lost the bet!" Doyle said reaching into his pocket and handing something to Paris.

"Wait a minute, whatever bet you put on my head, I want half!" Rory told them.

"It was only $100. How about a birthday present instead?" Paris offered, setting Bradley down on the floor. "Bradley, why don't you go give Auntie Rory her birthday present."

"What was the bet?" Logan asked.

"We figured your engagement would be super short considering your history, so we took bets on where the wedding would happen. I said Vegas, but Paris said that if you two were going to run away to get married it would be somewhere more classy like a tropical island." Doyle told him.

"Damn she knows me!"

"I've clearly known you two way too long!" Paris said with a roll of her eyes. "Either that, or you are entirely predictable!"

"Thank you so much for the present Bradley! Can I have a birthday hug too?" Rory asked holding her arms out for the little boy who happily jumped into them. "Thank you so much! I love getting hugs from sweet little boys!"

"Catherine, go give Auntie Rory a birthday hug." Doyle said setting his daughter down on the floor, then watching as she ran to Rory.

"Thank you so much Catherine! I've missed you two!"

"You open present?" Catherine asked.

"Sure, I'll open my present. Did you help pick this out for me?" Rory asked as Catherine nodded her head.

"Doyle took them shopping, and this is what they decided on. I got you something too, but it's still in the car." Paris told her.

"I love it!" Rory said pulling a brown teddy bear out of the gift bag Bradley had handed her. "Thank you guys so much! He is so cute! What should I name him?"

"Misfer Bubbles!" Bradley said excitedly.

"Mister Bubbles? You think we should name him Mister Bubbles?"

"Yes!" Catherine agreed.

"Well then Mister Bubbles it is!" Rory told them. "Thank you both so much! I think I will take Mister Bubbles to work with me, just so you will have to come visit me at the office so you can see him, ok?"

"Yay!" the kids cheered together.

"Doyle, Paris, thank you so much! This means a lot to me!" Rory told them. "I know it's just a bear, but I really do love it. Thank you!"

"Don't thank us, this was all the twins. I just took them to the store." Doyle told her.

"Yeah but it was so sweet of you to take them shopping for me. I would have been perfectly happy with just a birthday hug from my munchkins."

"Well you are the best aunt in the world. Thank you for always being there for them. It means a lot to us."

"It's my pleasure." Rory told him. "Hey you guys, how would you like to go see Nana Lorelai?"

"Yay! Nana!" the twins cheered.

"Come on, let's go!" Rory said standing up and grabbing both of their hands, and heading for the diner door.


	21. Chapter 21

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I've been working with my bff to write and edit everything, so I can get it all posted here. So thank you to her for just being her. :-D

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews this weekend. I love reading what you have to say, and for those who have pointed out things that I have overlooked, thank you, I've made adjustments. Both me and my editor seem to have missed a few things, but thank you for pointing them out.

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

* * *

New York City -

The Huntzberger family has announced that the long time CEO of Huntzberger Publishing Group (HPG), Mitchum Huntzberger, has taken a medical leave of absence from the company, turning control over to his daughter in-law Lorelai Leigh (Rory) Gilmore Huntzberger, wife to Doctor Logan Huntzberger of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.

Most recently working as a writer and assistant editor for the New York Times, Rory Huntzberger comes to HPG with a degree in English and Journalism from Yale University where she assumed the role of Editor of the Yale Daily News. Following her graduation in 2007, Rory worked as a reporter on the presidential campaign trail with President Barack Obama before traveling the world as a freelance writer.

Not being a stranger to HPG or the Huntzberger family, Rory worked with CEO Mitchum Hutzberger as an intern at the Stanford Eagle Gazette during its acquisition, and is excited to be welcomed back to the fold by several of her former editors.

In her free time, Rory enjoys traveling back to the small town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut where she grew up, and spending time with family, including her two younger sisters. Rory is the daughter of Lorelai Gilmore Danes and Luke Danes of Stars Hollow Ct. and Christopher Hayden of Boston, Ma. Granddaughter of Richard and Emily Gilmore and Strobe and Francine Hayden, of Hartford, Ct.

In a company press conference where the changes in leadership were announced, Honor Huntzberger Rothschild, eldest child of Mitchum and Shira Huntzberger, described her new sister in-law, Rory, as "the perfect example of selfless integrity". Having known Rory for 12 years, Honor stated that she is super excited to work with her new sister in-law as she takes on the very challenging role of CEO, saying "I love Rory so much, and I believe with all of my heart that she has this company's absolute best interest at the forefront of her heart and mind" and that Rory is the "perfect person" to step into her father's role. "Rory is always super positive, and goes out of her way to help anyone who might need it . . . She is such a sweet person both inside and out, and she leads by example."

When asked about his wife's new role in the family, Logan Huntzberger stated "I couldn't possibly be any more excited or prouder of my wife. She has worked her whole life for an opportunity like this, and we are all very lucky to have her. Rory is an incredible asset to the team, and if anyone can move this company forward, it's her." Both Logan Huntzberger and Honor Rothschild plan to be on hand for several weeks during Rory's transition to HPG, and are looking forward to another successful year for the company.

Currently, Huntzberger Publishing Group owns 327 newspapers throughout the United States and 100 overseas, with plans to expand to a total of 500 in the next year. They also own several online newspapers, as well as a smaller book publishing subsidiary.

"I like it! It gives the readers something but nothing, all at the same time." Logan said, reading over the article Rory had just finished writing.

"Exactly! Here is a small bit of information about me that you can find by doing any web search, and not a single ounce of anything else." Rory agreed.

"It states the facts, and has quotes from both Honor and I. And my favorite part is that it is very noninvasive."

"I want to keep our private life private."

"It's perfect Ace! I'll get this submitted to the server while you get ready to go. We have to leave for dinner in twenty minutes."

"Have you decided if we are staying here tonight, or driving back to New York?"

"I think we are going to drive back tonight. We have a lot going on tomorrow. As long as we leave your grandparents' by 10, we should make it back by midnight."

"What time is our first appointment in the morning?"

"8:00 at the hospital. We have to meet with Dad's care team, then I need to stop by HR and get you added to all my work stuff."

"What stuff?"

"Just the emergency contact, insurance, 401-k, all of that."

"You'll need our marriage license for all of that, and probably my social security card and ID."

"And you need to decide what you are going to do about last names because if you decide to make any changes, you'll need to go to the social security office and the DMV."

"Getting married is kind of a pain in the ass, isn't it?!"

"Some parts can be. But the rest is pretty good so far, right?"

"I don't know, you tend to leave dirty socks everywhere."

"Ok perfect one! Maybe I should have just married someone that can actually cook."

"You probably should have." Rory laughed as she changed her clothes. "We would eat out a lot less."

"Yeah, but we're too busy to actually cook. Think about it, in the two weeks, how many days have we actually been at home?"

"In the last week? None! In the last two weeks, I think maybe one."

"Exactly! Which makes a wife who can cook entirely overrated! I'll just hire a chef when we find a house. It'll make our lives a lot easier."

"We need to figure out a schedule."

"I'm not sure that is possible right now."

"At least we finally get to spend one night in our own bed."

"Which is something else that we need to decide on. Which apartment are we keeping until we get a house?"

"I would probably go with yours. It's bigger and closer to both the office and the hospital."

"I'll ask Honor if she will supervise movers. We can just have all your clothes and anything you need right away moved into my place, and then everything else we can put in storage until we find a house."

"Or we just move my clothes and whatever we need right away ourselves and leave the rest for when we get a house and just move everything all at once."

"I guess that works too. I was just thinking that it might save us money to just let the apartment go now."

"Either way I have to buy out the rest of my lease."

"Well HPG is paying you enough, it shouldn't be a problem."

"That is very true. We'll figure it out later. We have a lot of decisions to make this week."

"Well hopefully we can get it all figured out in the next 48 hours so we can make the flight to London. We have that meeting set up for Wednesday morning."

"We picked a really inconvenient time to get married."

"Says the woman who announced Thursday night that she wanted to run off and get married, two days after getting engaged. Apparently two rings weren't good enough for you, you just HAD to have three of them!"

"Says the irresponsible man who called Daddy's pilot!"

"We should probably learn to not be each other's bad influence."

"Or maybe you should learn to not be an enabler." Rory said as she slid her feet into her shoes. "Are you ready?"

"I can't believe you just called me an enabler." Logan said as he shut down Rory's laptop and packed it up to leave.

"Prove to me that you aren't."

"I might be an enabler, but you secretly love that I'm am."

"I might, but we should still probably work on that." Rory said, then turned and headed out of the room with Logan following right behind her.

7:00pm

Gilmore Residence

Hartford, Connecticut

"Hi Grandma! Hey Grandpa! Thank you so much for having us!" Rory said as she walked into the living room with Logan right behind her, to see Emily and Richard already having drinks with Lorelai and Luke.

"Hello newlyweds! Thank you for coming! You brought the pictures you promised us, right?"

"We've got pictures and a video." Logan told them. "We are sorry we took off without telling anyone. It has just already been 12 years, and waiting another 6 months or so until my dad is doing better just seemed like way too long. And had I handled things better back at Yale, we would have already been married 8 years ago."

"We understand. Thank you for the apology though." Emily told him.

"Grandma, we hope you and Mom will still plan a big party for after Mitchum is better. We are so sorry we infringed on your plans. I know how much the big fancy wedding means to you."

"I imagine you two will have to release some kind of statement through HPG." Richard commented.

"Already taken care of. That introduction article you wanted Rory to write, is being published tomorrow morning. We planned it perfectly so that HPG has the exclusive, and everyone else can pick it up on the AP wire tomorrow after the papers have already been delivered." Logan told them.

"That is deviously perfect!" Lorelai told them.

"I thought so too! Rory is a genius!" Logan agreed.

"So what does the article say?"

"Absolutely nothing that you can't find in a simple google search." Rory answered. "I introduced myself and kept my private life private. There aren't any details about anything."

"Nice! Do we get to read the article before it comes out?"

"Give me about ten seconds, then you can all check your e-mail." Logan said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "I am sending it to you right now."

"Hey, look, I've got email!" Lorelai said excitedly as her phone beeped to life.

"Mom, you get so excited over the smallest things." Rory told her.

"Richard, will you read it out loud please?" Emily asked.

"As you wish Emily." Richard told her, then began to read the article to the family.

"I love how you gave everyone absolutely nothing!" Lorelai told her. "That takes talent!"

"Right?! I gave them nothing that isn't readily available on google. I'm sick of people thinking that my personal life is their play space. I'm ready to have a nice quiet life again."

"Rory, that is a perfectly informative article. Great job!" Richard told her.

"I had no idea that HPG owned so many papers. Richard, did you know?" Emily asked.

"I knew it was a lot, but never knew an actual number."

"I might have gotten that number from a spreadsheet with contact information for every publication." Rory told them.

"If it makes you all feel better, the last count I knew was over 250. I obviously haven't kept track either." Logan told them.

"So did you come up with the 500 goal yourself?" Lorelai asked.

"No, that has been the company goal for a while. Dad has been adding around 25 new papers a year. Not all of them are big publications."

"It sounds like Rory has her work cut out for her."

"It's going to be a lot. But Honor is going to travel with Rory, so she won't be alone. Honor will basically be Rory's assistant on the road, and Doyle will be back in the office working. It gives Honor a chance to learn the business a little bit, and lightens the load for both Rory and Doyle. It's a win all the way around." Logan told them.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Gilmore, dinner is ready." a maid said stepping into the room, then quietly leaving.

"Oh excellent! Let's head to the dining room." Emily suggested. "The sooner we eat, the sooner we can have dessert and watch your wedding video."

"Have you guys decided where you are going to live?" Lorelai asked as everyone headed for the dining room.

"Kind of. Or at least temporarily." Rory answered. "I am going to move into Logan's apartment since it is bigger and closer to both the office and the hospital, while we look for a house."

"So you are going to buy a house in the city?" Emily asked.

"It makes sense to live there." Logan told her. "We would love to live closer to Hartford, but being a doctor, it's not realistic for me. I can't be commuting an hour or two when I get paged to come in. I need to be within minutes of the hospital. But you are all welcome to come visit us whenever you would like to. We may not be able to come visit a lot, at least for the next several months, but that doesn't mean that we don't want you to come see us. We will be getting a big enough home that everyone is welcome to visit at any time."

"Have you thought of what kind of house you want to find?"

"Not really. We are going to look at a few places tomorrow. All different styles. We'll see what is available and go from there."

"We are looking at one in Honor's neighborhood, right?" Rory asked.

"We are. There are a few houses available in that neighborhood, so we are going to check them out. Being close to Honor would be nice."

"And convenient for shopping." Lorelai added, with a wink in Rory's direction. "I might have to come visit a lot if you live by her."

"Maybe we should move to Honor's neighborhood. It will more than triple your wardrobe with your mom coming up all the time." Logan said nudging Rory.

"That is a good point." Rory agreed. "We'll see what happens."


	22. Chapter 22

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I've been working with my bff to write and edit everything, so I can get it all posted here. So thank you to her for just being her. :-D

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews this weekend. I love reading what you have to say, and for those who have pointed out things that I have overlooked, thank you, I've made adjustments. Both me and my editor seem to have missed a few things, but thank you for pointing them out.

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

There is a new episode of The Resident tonight! It was good, but a little bit of a let down. Maybe I'm lame, but I expected better. Jessica got the best part of the episode. I'll shut up now. Go watch!

* * *

"Hey Doctor Huntzberger, I didn't expect to see you today!" Kimberly Watson said, looking up from her computer as Logan and Rory walked into her office. "It's Rory, right? How are you guys doing today? I hear your dad is doing really well."

"We are good, we are on our way up to see him, but I wanted to come talk to you first. I need to adjust my contact information and stuff. Rory and I got married a couple days ago, so I need to add her to all of my paperwork." Logan told her.

"Wow! Congratulations! We can definitely get Rory added! It's all really easy actually. All you have to do is log into your account on the employee website and add her right there. The only thing I need from you is a copy of your marriage license, and Rory's ID and social security card."

"I have those for you." Logan said handing Kimberly the paperwork she needed. "I also have a question, and you can feel free to tell me no."

"Excellent! Are these copies that I can have, or are they originals that you need me to make copies of?"

"They are copies that you can have. The originals we left at home."

"Perfect! What is your question?"

"Hypothetically, would it be possible to maybe drop down to part-time after I come back from leave?"

"What do you mean by part time?"

"I was thinking of maybe cutting back to only 3 days a week instead of the 5-10 days straight that I've been working."

"Well depending on how many hours you want to work, we wouldn't necessarily need to drop you down to part time. I know that you've been on a rotating schedule to help cover shifts and then you've also volunteered to be on call whenever you're needed, so you've been working some crazy hours. We can definitely move you to a more permanent schedule if you need to. We should have the coverage we need. How many hours were you thinking you wanted, because if you worked three 12 hour shifts, you would be getting 36 hours, which is still full-time. Keeping your full-time status keeps all of your benefits the same."

"Rory, what do you think about three 12 hour shifts?" Logan asked.

"That sounds great if that is what you want."

"I think it might be easier with helping you out at HPG. I can work 3 days here, then do another 3 at the office, and still have one day off to spend with just you. Isn't that what you were saying the other night?"

"Only if that is what you really want."

"You can always try it for a while, and if it doesn't work, we can adjust things again." Kimberly told them. "Why don't you talk to Doctor Greenley, and you guys can work out a schedule that works for everyone. Just e-mail me whatever you decide, and I will put it into the master schedule."

"I will definitely do that. Thank you so much for everything this week. We really appreciate everything that you and everyone else at this hospital has been doing for us."

"It's our pleasure. We are happy to have your dad here. Just let me know when you are ready to come back to work. I got your FMLA approved so you are eligible for up to 12 weeks of leave for the calendar year dating back to Wednesday of last week, and the days don't need to be consecutive. Just let me know what time you need off, and I will get it taken care of for you. The nice thing about working in health care is that we actually fully understand what it takes for a patient to recover from a heart attack. Your situation is definitely unique, but you still qualify for the time off."

"Thank you, I appreciate your help so much. I should only need one more week. I will let you know if it changes, but I am planning to get everything settled with my Dad's company this week, and then come right back to work. But having the schedule changed so I am only here 3 days a week will help so much!"

"Just talk to Doctor Greenley and e-mail me whatever you guys decide on. It really isn't a big deal at all."

"I will do that before we leave here today. I just have to go meet with my dad's care team, and get a plan together for him."

"Well you had better get going then. Let me know if there is anything else that I can do to help you."

"I will. Thank you Kimberly.

"You are very welcome. I am always happy to help. You guys have a great rest of the day."

"Thank you Kimberly, you as well." Rory smiled, then followed Logan out of the office. "So Babe, you decided to only work 3 days?"

"I've been thinking about what you said the other night, and you made some really good points, so I thought that maybe we could give it a try. Maybe running the company with you wouldn't be bad. I might actually really enjoy it. I do love being a doctor, but you're right, I'm pretty good at stepping up and running the show when I need to. So I'm going to adjust my schedule here at the hospital so I can spend time at the office helping you, and we'll see what happens from there. If I completely hate it, I can go back to my crazy ER schedule. But if I actually enjoy it, it gives me extra time with you, and spending time with you is my favorite thing in the world."

"I like spending time with you too, and I would love to have you with me at the office. But I don't want you giving up your medical career to spend your time at a company that you hate."

"You heard what Kimberly said. I'm not giving anything up right now." Logan told her as they stepped into the elevator. "All I am doing is adjusting my schedule."

"Promise me you will tell me when things get to be too much and you want out. I don't want you to sit there suffering just because I like looking at you."

"I promise, you will be the first to know." Logan said as his phone buzzed with a text message.

_Just got to the hospital_

_Heads up_

_Mom is with me_

"Crap!"

"What's wrong?" Rory asked.

"Honor just got here and Mom is with her." Logan explained as they exited the elevator and he quickly texted Honor a response.

_Lovely_

_Just got to the CICU_

_Meet you in the waiting room_

"I guess the care team meeting is about to get way more interesting."

"Unless I can manage to cut her out. I'm trying to think of who I can call to come babysit."

"I can stay with her."

"I won't put you through that."

"Logan, I don't mind. Maybe we can talk about wedding plans or something."

"Do you really want to get lectured without me there to stop her?"

"You think it'll get ugly?"

"Hasn't it always? I'm sure Honor has her on a short leash, but she's still Mom." Logan said as the elevator signaled its arrival behind them.

"Hey guys!" Honor smiled, stepping out of the elevator, and reaching out to give Rory a hug.

"Logan, Sweetheart!" Shira said cheerfully, limping toward Logan and giving him a brief hug.

"Hi Mom. How was the spa?"

"It was lovely. So luxurious!"

"You should have stayed longer if you were enjoying it so much. There is no reason you should have to miss out."

"I can go back another time. I need to get back to Hartford today. I have several events coming up that I need to attend."

"Are you sure you want to go home? There isn't anyone at the house right now, I gave the staff time off while you and Dad are gone. I don't know if I can get anyone back there before tomorrow."

"Well you can call and ask them to go back, can't you?"

"Sure Mom. I'll call your maid service right now. Let me buzz you in to see Dad and I'll meet you in there." Logan told her, then moved toward the intercom buzzer on the wall.

"Can I help you?" a voice asked over the intercom.

"It's Doctor Huntzberger. My sister is here with my wife and my mother. Will you take them to see my dad in room 523 please, then let Doctor Levan know that I am here whenever he is ready?"

"No problem Doctor Huntzberger."

"Honor, will you take mom and Rory to see dad."

"I'll hang back with you." Rory told him.

"Of course! Come on Mom. Let's go see Dad." Honor said rolling her eyes in her mother's direction, as she took her arm to escort her to Mitchum's room.

"Your mom didn't even acknowledge me." Rory said once Shira was out of ear shot.

"I know. I'm sorry Ace. She is being Shira. I'll deal with her. I'm sure Honor is already ripping into her for it."

"You don't have to apologize for her. Maybe getting the silent treatment is actually a good thing."

"The funny part about the entire thing is that you actually have the power to completely cut her off right now, and she doesn't even realize it. You could take away every dime that she has and leave her a pauper."

"I'm not that vindictive."

"But you could. She needs to at least try to play nice."

"Are you going to let her go home?"

"I am actually going to call Frank right now and have him come get her. Hopefully I can keep her out of the meeting with the promise that Frank will be here any minute. But then I have to see if I can get her maid service to send someone to the house today."

"My grandma can probably make a call if you need her to."

"I might have to take you up on that if no one is available. I didn't expect mom to want to go back so soon."

"What can I do to help you?"

"Nothing at the moment, but thank you for asking." Logan said as he punched buttons on his phone, then moved it to his ear. "Hey Frank, it's Logan. Would you mind picking up my mother at Columbia Presbyterian and taking her back to her house in Hartford? . . . That would be great! I'll pay you double for dealing with her . . . Thank you so much! I'll have her outside and ready." Logan said then ended the call, pushed a few more buttons, then raised the phone to his ear again. "Hi, this is Logan Huntzberger, I need to get service for my mother today if possible. I gave her staff time off after my dad had a heart attack last week and my parents have been out of town, but my mom is going back home today, and she can't function alone in the house . . . Yes, for Mitchum and Shira Huntzberger . . . Of course, that isn't a problem at all . . . Yes, she is heading home from New York City in the next half hour or so, so she won't be back for 2-3 hours . . . That is perfect! Thank you so much!" He said, then ended the call. "They are sending a staff to the house this afternoon, and Frank will be here in the next 30 minutes, so we just need to get mom back downstairs to meet him.

"You are an amazing son, even though your parents really don't deserve it."

"Thank you. Come on, let's go find Doctor Levan and see if we can push this meeting back until mom is gone."

"Doctor Huntzberger, I was able to find several rehabilitation center options for your dad. Some are nicer than others, and most of them have openings available right away. We would just have to arrange for transport. You can take a look at this list and decide what to do from there." Doctor Levan said, passing Logan a list of rehab facilities.

"How soon is Dad able to fly after a heart attack?" Honor asked.

"We recommend waiting at least ten days, so I would wait until early next week. But we can definitely move your dad out of the CICU and into a regular room. I am even ok with giving him back a modified regular diet."

"Can we put him on the VIP floor?" Logan asked.

"I've already got a room being prepared."

"How is his therapy going?"

"It is going really well. He's been walking around the nurses station, and he starts full therapy this afternoon. We'll be getting him up on the treadmill and increase his endurance every day."

"Dad used to be a runner and play tennis, so he definitely has plenty of stamina." Honor commented.

"He used to run a 4 minute mile, right Rory?" Logan asked, squeezing her hand.

"Hey, don't pick on me!"

"Ok, I'm lost here?" Honor said, looking between them.

"I'll explain it later." Rory told her.

"What kind of diet do you want Dad on?" Logan asked.

"Low fat, low cholesterol, low carb, very minimal sugar."

"Healthy it is."

"Respiratory said that his breathing has been great, so we will wean down the oxygen and just keep monitoring him, especially while in therapy."

"That sounds great!"

"Is there anything else that you guys think we need to address?" Doctor Levan asked.

"Honor? Rory?"

"I can't think of anything." Honor answered.

"Me either." Rory agreed. "Oh wait, I do have a question. Logan and I got married the other day, and Logan called Mitchum with the news. How irate did it make him? Has his heart been ok since Saturday night?"

"We can pull his monitor records from the weekend, and go over them if you'd like. But we would have called you if there had been anything concerning come up on the monitor. If the heart rate gets into any kind of danger zone, it alerts the nurses right away with a loud alarm in both the room, and at the CICU nurses stations. It also would have sent me an email, and I haven't seen anything come through."

"Which means that your dad didn't flip out at all the way your mother did."

"That's interesting." Honor agreed. "How drugged is dad? Maybe we should bring up the wedding with Doctor Levan in the room, just to make sure that Dad heard you, and just in case he has another heart attack."

"Normally we would advise the family to NOT do things to purposely stress out the patient." Doctor Levan told them.

"We didn't do it on purpose." Logan told him. "We should have been married 8 years ago. Nothing about our relationship should be surprising to anyone."

"Well congratulations. It sounds like it was about time."

"Thank you!" Logan told him

"Ok, so who wants to tell Dad that he's going to rehab?" Honor asked.

"I guess that means that I get to do it. Thanks Sis! I appreciate all the support!"

"Hey, at least I was excited about you running away to get married without me, which by the way, you owe me for!"

"Doctor Huntzberger, when are you coming back to work?" Doctor Levan asked.

"I have some business stuff to finish up this week, and then I need to get Dad to rehab, but I'll be back as soon as he's settled.

"Well all of the contact information is right there on the list of locations. Just decide where you would like him to go, and contact the location to get everything set up. Just let me know where you choose and what date you want to go, so I can get them your dad's medical records."

"I will do that. Thank you so much for all of your help. We appreciate it a lot."

"Not a problem. I've got some things to do, but let me know if you need anything else. I'll check in on your dad again later." Doctor Levan said as everyone got up from their seats. "You guys have a good day."

"Thank you, you as well." Honor said, as they followed Doctor Levan out of the room. "Let's go see Dad and get him ready to move to a new room."

"Honor, are you going to come look at houses with us today?" Rory asked.

"Now that I'm not stuck driving mom back to Hartford, I would be more than happy to! How great would it be for us to be neighbors?!"

"That would be so fun! We could hang out all the time."

"I would love that! I am so excited!" Honor told them.


	23. Chapter 23

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I've been working with my bff to write and edit everything, so I can get it all posted here. So thank you to her for just being her. :-D

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews this weekend. I love reading what you have to say, and for those who have pointed out things that I have overlooked, thank you, I've made adjustments. Both me and my editor seem to have missed a few things, but thank you for pointing them out.

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

* * *

"Hey Ace, what all do you want me to grab to take home?" Logan asked, looking around Rory's apartment.

"I don't even know, this is kind of overwhelming."

"Well the good news is that we are only ten minutes away, so anything that you need but don't have, we can come back to get. It's not like you will never see the stuff again."

"That's true. I just hate moving."

"Ok so let's do this. Let's grab the things that you use every day; your clothes, shoes, makeup, and hair stuff. Why don't you go grab whatever stuff you need from your bathroom and I'll start taking your clothes and shoes down to the car.

"I guess that works."

"You guess?"

"No, it works. It's just a lot. There are a lot of changes happening right now."

"Well, I can move in here if it's easier on you."

"No, Logan, your place is bigger, and closer to the office and the hospital."

"I don't care about any of that. Why don't we just live here."

"The building doesn't allow pets."

"Please, I'm a doctor, there are really simplistic ways to get around that. Would you like an emotional support animal to help with your anxiety?"

"Do you think I need one?"

"I know for a fact that they help. You'll see, having Rocky around all the time is pretty awesome."

"No, I know. I'm much more relaxed when I'm hanging out with him."

"So I can move in here, it's really not a big deal. We can just go get my stuff."

"No, Logan, I'm being stupid. It's fine. We already decided. I'm just feeling overwhelmed."

"Rory, come here. Come sit down. Let's talk about this." Logan said taking her hand, and pulling her over to the couch. "We really need to talk about your anxiety. You've been having a really hard time lately. I know that we have a lot going on, but we've always been busy, and nothing has ever made you this overwhelmed. We've only been back together for a few weeks, so I have to ask, does this happen to you a lot? I only remember you having a few anxiety attacks back at Yale, but I don't remember them ever being this bad. Can you tell me what is going on in your head?"

"I'm just feeling overwhelmed, I'll be fine."

"Rory, as a doctor, I am trained to spot this type of thing. I need you to talk to me. Let me in. Let me help you. It is perfectly ok to not be ok. But I need you to be honest with me and tell me what is bothering you."

"I don't know . . . There is just so much happening lately that I feel like everything is spinning completely out of control all around me, and I feel like I'm drowning, and I can't catch my breath."

"How often does this happen?"

"I think several times a month."

"Have you talked to anyone about it?"

"No, you're the only one who knows. I usually hide it better. Paris is the one only other person who has noticed it happening."

"Oh good, that actually makes things a little bit easier because now I don't have to involve someone who doesn't know you, who we will have to explain things to death for. I am going to call Paris, and we are going to get a game plan together. I legally can't do it myself, so I am going to have Paris write you a prescription for some medication to help you out while we get you into a therapist that can help you. We aren't going to give you anything that is habit forming, or that is going to change you and turn you into a zombie. It will just be something mild that will help balance the chemicals in your body, and help stay calm. It could take a few weeks before we can get you into a therapist, and I don't want you suffering, so we are going to start you on the medication today. The next thing I am going to do is cancel our trip. We can take a honeymoon when things calm down and you are able to actually enjoy yourself. And then I am going to send you out with Honor to go get a massage, and I am going to get Finn and Collin over here, and I am going to pack up this apartment myself, and get all the boxes over to my place, and the furniture into storage. Everything that we were planning to do today has now been bumped, ok?"

"Logan, you don't have to do all of that."

"Yes I do. This is your health, and it's important. So right now, I want you go to lay down in bed. Take a nap if you want to, while I make some calls, ok? I'll come wake you up when Honor gets here."

"Ok." Rory agreed with a defeated sigh.

"Everything is going to be ok, alright?"

"Will you come lay down with me? Just until I fall asleep?"

"Yeah. I'm going to call Paris first though. You go lay down, and I'll be right there." Logan said kissing Rory's forehead, then standing up, and helping her up from the couch. "I'll meet you in bed in a minute.

"Logan, what's going on?" Paris asked, answering her phone after it rang a couple of times.

"Hey Paris, I need a favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"It's for Rory. I don't want to involve anyone who doesn't already know her really well, but she said that you've been there for her panic attacks before."

"Is she ok? How bad is it?" Paris asked, suddenly very concerned.

"She says she feels like everything is spinning out of control and she's drowning and can't catch her breath."

"Do you know how often it's happening?"

"Several times a month."

"Damn it! This is exactly what I was afraid of. I saw it coming."

"Paris, we need to help her."

"I know. And I've been trying. She doesn't like to talk about it."

"I just sent her to bed. We came over to her place to pack some things up to move over to my apartment until we find a house, and she completely froze. She's been doing it a lot lately. I thought it was just the one night after I stitched up her hand, and I pushed her into a breakdown thinking that it was good for her to let it all out and stop bottling things up. But now it's happening more and more often."

"I know. She has crippling anxiety. I've been telling her that she needs to think about seeing someone."

"I am going to make some calls and find a therapist. I already told Rory that we are canceling our trip, and I am going to get Collin and Finn to come help me move her stuff, while I pack up this apartment myself. But would you be willing to write Rory a prescription for something mild to help with her anxiety? I would do it myself, but I legally can't."

"Yeah, if course. I am happy to."

"Thank you Paris."

"What pharmacy do you want me to call it in to?"

"It doesn't matter. The hospital is fine. Cvs, Walgreens, whatever."

"You are at Rory's?"

"Yeah, I am going to go lay down with her until she falls asleep, then work on getting this place packed up."

"Do you need boxes?"

"Yeah. I need to go pick some up."

"I only have one more appointment today, so I'll pick up Rory's prescription and some boxes. I'll be there in a couple hours."

"You are an amazing friend Paris."

"Hey, she does it for me all the time."

"Rory is going to be ok. Go take care of her. I'll be there soon."

"Thanks Paris. I owe you one." Logan said, then hung up the phone, and went and climbed into bed with Rory, wrapping her up in his arms. "Paris will be here in a couple hours. We are going to take care of everything."

"Can you not call Honor? I don't feel up to going anywhere. I don't want anyone else to know."

"OK, but I'll tell you a little secret ... I'm the one who prescribes Honors anxiety medication. She's been on it for years."

"Really? Honor seems so normal."

"Being in this family will do that to you." Logan said kissing the side of Rory's head. "There is no shame in needing a little bit of help. I actually think Honor can help you. She has learned a lot of different ways to control everything. But I won't push you. We can call Honor when you are ready. Just try to get some rest, ok?"

"You can call her if you want to." Rory said softly. "You're the doctor. I have to trust your judgement."

"Ace... I might be a doctor, but I am your husband first. It's my job to take care of you. Being a doctor just gives me extra ways to help."

"Is it weird to feel scared?"

"No... Feeling scared is completely normal. I would actually worry more if you weren't scared."

"OK... I'm glad you're here ..."

"There is nowhere else in the world that I would rather be... Just try to get some rest, ok? It'll help you feel better."

"You'll stay here with me?"

"I'm not going anywhere." Logan whispered, tightening his arms around her small body.

"I love you."

"I know... I love you too."

_We need to cancel today_

_Rory is having bad anxiety_

Logan punched buttons on his phone twenty minutes later, texting his sister to let her know the change in plans for the day.

Honor to Logan:

_Oh no_

_Poor Rory_

_Is she ok?_

Logan to Honor:

_She's finally asleep_

_I'm laying here with her_

_She's scared_

Honor to Logan:

_How can I help?_

_Do you need anything?_

Logan to Honor:

_I called Paris._

_She is coming over with medication and boxes to pack up Rory's apartment._

Honor to Logan:

_I'll be there shortly with supplies_

_I need the address I've never been to Rory's apartment._

Logan texted their location to his sister then decided to close his eyes for a short nap.

* * *

Two hours later Logan woke up to hear voices in the living room, and quietly slipped out of bed, closing the bedroom door behind him while he went to investigate.

"Hey guys, I guess Paris has a key?" Logan asked seeing his sister and Paris carrying boxes and some bags into the apartment.

"That I do." Paris told him. "Rory gave Lorelai and I keys when she first moved in. She has a key to my place too."

"And I have a key to Logan's so we're good to go on both ends." Honor told them.

"Well I don't have a key to this apartment either, so Paris has one up on me." Logan commented.

"Well, you're moving, so it doesn't even matter." Honor told him. "Where are we moving everything to?"

"The boxes can all go to my house, and the furniture I'll just get a storage unit for until we find a house."

"You don't need a storage unit, I have an empty garage now that all your stuff isn't in it."

"Honor, I can't do that to you again."

"Please, you aren't doing anything to me. I'm offering. And it's not like the garage is being used. You also have a bedroom at my house that you can take over at any time. If you guys wanted to get rid of both apartments until you find a house, I wouldn't mind you staying with me."

"Honor, that is really sweet of you, but completely unnecessary. We have two apartments to choose from. I already told Rory that we can stay here if she wants to, but she wants to move into my place temporarily because it's little bit bigger, and closer to both the hospital and the office."

"Well the offer stands." Honor told him.

"Logan, here's Rory's prescription. I would have her take them at night because at least then she can sleep off the side effects."

"Thank you Paris. How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?"

"You can babysit one day to pay me back."

"We would be happy to. Thank you!"

"I brought some anxiety supplies for Rory." Honor told them. "I ran out and got her some stuff that has helped me.

"What kind of stuff?" Logan asked.

"I got her a weighted blanket, weighted sleep mask, lavender candles, lavender shower stuff, and some chocolate."

"You realize that we are getting ready to move, right?

"Yeah well, you said she was sleeping, and the blanket will help her to sleep a lot better, and it'll even help when she's not sleeping. And it's not a ton of stuff, or anything huge, so it's easy to move."

"Thank you Honor. You are an amazing sister!"

"Why don't you go put the blanket on Rory, then come back out here, and help us start packing."

"Thank you guys so much!"

"Hey, you don't need to thank us. You and Rory would do the exact same for us. We are all family. This is what family does."

"Rory is going to be ok." Paris told him. "I know several therapists who are happy to take care of her. We'll figure all of this out together. Rory is my best friend. I'm not going to let anything happen to her."

"Where's the blanket?" Logan asked.

"Right here." Honor said, unzipping a plastic bag, and pulling out a large plushy pink blanket, handing it to her brother. "It's 15 pounds. It's supposed to be around 10% of your body weight. I know someone who custom makes them, so I'll order her one later today. I got this one from Bloomingdales."

"I had no idea Bloomingdales had those! I'll have to go get one." Paris said seeing the blanket.

"I have one in every room at my house. They're amazing! I have the one that I had custom made on my bed, but the others are all from Bloomingdales. I've heard that you can get them at Target too."

"It's interesting that they are suddenly trendy."

"Hey guys. When did you get here?" Rory asked, heading down the hall toward the living room.

"Hey Ace, did we wake you?" Logan asked.

"No, I'm actually kind of hungry."

"Ok, we can order something. Here, Honor brought you some presents."

"I got you a weighted blanket, a weighted sleep mask, some lavender candels and bath stuff, and of course chocolate. Everything that helps with my anxiety." Honor explained as Logan wrapped the blanket around his wife.

"Honor, you are so sweet! Thank you so much!"

"You are very welcome. How are you feeling?"

"I'm ok at the moment. I just feel drained and hungry."

"What do you guys feel like eating?" Logan asked.

"Rory wants tacos." Paris told him

"Rory always wants tacos. Question is, what do you and Honor want?"

"I can go for Tacos." Honor told him.

"Yeah me too. Rory knows the best taco place in town." Paris told them.

"Ace, do you want to go get tacos?"

"Sure. Paris, do you want to come with me?"

"Or we can all go? You still haven't showed me your new car."

"Rory, you got a new car?" Honor asked.

"My Dad insisted on buying it for my birthday a couple weeks ago."

"What did you get?"

"Dad insisted on a Mercedes suv. I would have been fine with a Toyota 4-runner, but Dad wanted me to have something fancy."

"Your Dad loves you. He just wants to spoil his little girl." Honor told her.

"I know, I'm just not used to having fancy stuff."

"Well you're a Huntzberger now, so get used to it. My brother probably would have picked the same car for you."

"If we are going to go get tacos, then we should go." Logan told them.

"Can we go look at those houses when we're done? Paris, Honor I want you guys to come with." Rory asked.

"Sure, I'm completely free." Honor told her.

"I'm free too." Paris agreed.

"Logan?" Rory asked.

"If that's what you want."

"I do, and having Honor and Paris there will help me decide what I like."

"Then that's what we'll do. Do need to go change, or are you ready to go?"

"I need to go find some shoes. Will you come help me?"

"You need my help finding your shoes?"

"Some of them are up on the closet shelf, and you are taller than I am. And I might want to change, and you are good at picking out outfits."

"Lead the way." Logan said, then followed Rory back down the hallway to her bedroom. "You're awfully indecisive today."

"Don't pick on me. You know I'm having a rough day."

"I know. And I'm not trying to pick on you. I'm sorry, I didn't know that you needed my help finding your shoes or clothes."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Really? You have to ask me that?"

"Logan."

"Ace, come on. You know you can ask me anything. You don't need to ask me if you can ask a question. Of course you can ask a question."

"I just don't want to upset you."

"Why do you think you'll upset me by asking a question? Unless you're asking me for a divorce, I have zero reason to be upset with you."

"No, Logan, nothing like that. I was just wondering because as much as I love it, sometimes it's just a lot and I feel kind of uppity and way too fancy, and you know that's not me . . ."

"Ace . . ."

"Your grandma's ring. Do you want me to wear it all the time, or do you mind if I keep it for special occasions. I really don't mean to offend you because it's beautiful, and I really love it, I just don't usually wear a lot of jewelry . . ."

"Rory, it's fine. You don't have to wear it if you don't want to. It's just a family ring. Don't even worry about it. I don't expect you to wear it every day at all. I already told you that it's not your engagement ring, or your wedding ring. Heck, if you don't want to wear your engagement ring every day because I know you don't wear a lot of jewelry, I'll completely understand."

"No Logan, I love my engagement ring. I want to wear that one. I just don't wear a lot of jewelry and having two big fancy rings is a lot, and I'm just a little worried that wearing so much jewelry is too flashy and it could maybe make me a target or something. I don't want anything happening your grandmother's ring, it's beautiful, and it's been in your family for such a long time, and I know that it means a lot to you."

"Ace, stop worrying so much about everything. You mean more to me than any piece of jewelry. You don't have to wear anything that you don't want to wear. We can put it in your jewelry box, or we can get a safe for it. Whatever you want to do. It's completely fine. I don't want you to be uncomfortable, or worrying about something happening to you when you're wearing it."

"Are you sure? Because I really don't want to upset you. I love the ring, I really do."

"Rory, it's fine. I promise. Stop worrying about it. Your engagement and wedding rings mean way more to me than my grandmother's ring. Why don't we put the ring in your jewelry box, and we'll take it back to my apartment with us tonight. Then when we move, we can get a safe, and keep it in there just so it's secure, and you can wear it whenever you want to."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. Why don't you hand me the ring, and I'll put it away myself. Have you decided on what you want to wear?"

"No, I have no idea what to wear. Is it ok to wear jeans to look at houses?"

"Really Ace? What you're wearing is perfectly fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Rory, we're going to the taco shop. Come on. What's going on with you?"

"I don't know, I just don't want to look too scruffy, or make you look bad."

"Rory, did my mother say something to you this morning?"

"Please, your mother hardly even looked at me."

"Then what's going on?"

"I don't know, I just don't want to not look good enough to be your wife."

"Why would you not look good enough? You could wear a trash bag and you would still be good enough to be my wife."

"I just don't want to not look good enough to be a Huntzberger."

"Are you serious right now?! Is that what all of this anxiety is all about? You suddenly don't think that you are good enough to be a Huntzberger?"

"I just don't want you to feel embarrassed by me."

"Rory, you are being ridiculous. I could never be embarrassed by you. You are beautiful, and sexy, and you look incredible in everything you wear. So incredible in fact, that sometimes I just want to rip the clothes right off of you. You never have to worry about me being embarrassed by you."

"Are you sure? Because you can tell me if you don't like something."

"Rory, this is seriously ridiculous. Hey Honor! Paris! Come here!"

"What's going on?" Paris asked as she followed Honor to Rory's bedroom.

"Do either of you have a problem with what Rory is wearing, or any of her clothes?"

"What?!" Paris asked.

"Rory is worried about not looking good enough to be a Huntzberger wife, and doesn't want to embarrass me."

"Please tell me that you are joking!"

"Will one of you please set Rory straight because she's not believing anything that I say."

"Did our mother say something to you this morning?" Honor asked.

"She didn't say a single word to me. Just glared my way a few times." Rory told her.

"Rory, don't let our mother's ridiculous jealousy ruin your day. You are so much better than she is, and you know it." Honor said sitting down on Rory's bed.

"If it makes you feel better, Shira hates me too." Paris told her.

"The only person who gets to decide if you are good enough to be a Huntzberger, is Logan, and he made that decision 12 years ago." Honor started. "Mom and Dad don't have the kind of marriage that the four of us do, and seeing us happy makes her crazy. Especially you because mom sees a lot of herself in you. Mom grew up similar to the way you did. Her parents didn't have any money and she never had nice things. But then one day she met dad at some bar, and she managed to get pregnant with me, and grandpa forced Dad to marry her to make everything look better for the family. Mom and Dad have never cared about each other. They are only together out of obligation and because mom signed a prenup that says she gets nothing. Dad has never been loyal to her, and mom isn't allowed to have a side piece because it'll void her prenup, and she'll loose everything. Even if Dad dies, mom still doesn't get much. Everything goes to Logan and I, and almost nothing to mom. And she knows all of this, but there isn't anything that she can do about it. So she sits there and she pretends that she's happy in front of an audience, and then when she's alone she drinks, smokes, and spends all of her allowance on expensive clothes because it's the only thing that she has. So don't let mom's misery get you down. She's just jealous of your life and your relationship. If you want to feel anything toward mom, feel sorry for her because she was really naive when she met dad and she stupidly signed that restrictive prenup that grandpa forced her into, which completely trapped her. Mom's life sucks and it's all her own fault."

"Yikes! I never knew all that." Paris said as she took a seat next to Honor. "I only knew that she was raised poor and married rich."

"I didn't know any of it until a few years ago when I started hearing rumors and actually looked into everything, then confronted mom about it. She is on a very tight leash with Dad. Luckily, Grandpa finally died last year, so he's out of her way, but Dad still doesn't treat mom very well. They don't even really like each other."

"That is really sad." Rory told them. "I can't even imagine having to live like that."

"Rory, you have the life that Mom always wanted. You have an amazing husband who loves you and is loyal to you. Your husband refused to ever even consider having a prenup, or marry for anything other than love. Logan doesn't even care about the family's money. Did you know that I'm the one who paid for Logan to go to medical school? Grandpa, Mom and Dad refused to help, so Logan was going to get student loans, but I refused to let him."

"I did know that. Logan told me."

"Mom, Dad, and Grandpa thought that by refusing to pay for medical school, it would force Logan to come back to HPG. They thought that they could manipulate him into doing things their way. But Logan showed all of them, and told them to go to hell. All anyone in our family cares about is money and status. Except for Logan. He is the only person who is willing to say screw it to everything and do what makes him happy. Logan doesn't care what anyone else thinks about him. He's built his own life, and you are the one person he has always wanted to be with. So don't let mom's misery get you down. You and Logan have a relationship that so many people would kill for. You could literally wear a trash bag for a dress, and Logan wouldn't be bothered by it because he would still have you." Honor told her.

"Rory you know that I never liked Logan when you guys were first together at Yale. I knew how his parents treated you, and I was pretty much in the same boat with your mom when it came to you and Logan. You are my best friend, and I only wanted the best for you. But Logan has grown on me because he's been good to you. But I think the day I actually really started respecting him was the day we were in medical school and I went to a party at Honor's house, that Shira and Mitchum happened to be at. Poor woman had no idea who she was dealing with when she met me. She found out that I was a friend from Yale, and made the comment that I must have known that 'awful Gilmore girl'. That woman was about to get a beat down, when Logan stepped in and ripped into her. You guys hadn't been together in years, and Logan could easily have ignored Shira, or just told her mind her manners. But instead, he ripped into her in front of everyone. Logan had your back and refused to let anyone say anything bad about you, even when you hadn't said a single word to each other in years. He loved you enough to have your back, even when he had no idea if he would ever see you again." Paris told her.

"I have never seen Logan so mad in my entire life!" Honor laughed. "He was furious when he ripped into her!"

"Mom happened to pick a really bad day to open her mouth. I was having a rough day, I wasn't exactly in the mood to be at a party, and I REALLY wasn't in the mood for her crap."

"I think mom has been afraid of you since that day. I don't think she will ever run her mouth around you ever again."

"Well she needs to learn to watch how she looks at people too, because we are about to have words."

"Rory, the point of all of this is that you can do and wear whatever you want. You can put on ratty pajamas, and you will still be good enough to be in this family because Logan loves you, and he wants you there. You wear whatever you feel comfortable in. I don't even care if you wear pajamas to the office. I'll wear them with you. And if anyone dares to comment on it, I will rip into them for you. You are perfect just the way that you are. Logan didn't marry you to have a trophy wife." Honor told her.

"Says who?!" Logan blurted out, only to be kicked by Paris. "Ouch! Geez Paris, I was kidding!"

"Rory, Logan doesn't want some plastic bimbo trophy wife. He chose you because you are real, and you are beautiful not just outside, but inside too. You changed my baby brother from an ungrateful entitled, self-centered rich little jerk, and you turned him into a doctor. Someone who actually spends all of his time helping others. If Logan wanted some bimbo trophy life, he would have gotten married years ago, to whatever bimbo Mom and Dad threw his way. But he refused to even look at any of those gold diggers, because he wanted you, no matter how long he had to wait."

"Ok, this has gotten way too sappy. Can we please go get tacos now?" Logan asked.

* * *

"Are you feeling any better?" Logan asked as he climbed into bed next to Rory that night.

"A little bit. I'm sorry, I don't know why I let your mom get to me. This entire thing is so stupid."

"I think it's because you like to please people. You might not like my mom, but you still care what she thinks about you. You always try to make the best of every situation, and you don't want her to completely hate you, so you keep trying to kill her with kindness."

"You know me so well."

"It's one of the things that I love most about you."

"You really attacked your mom at a party?"

"I did. It was about 6 years ago."

"What happened?" Rory asked, snuggling herself into his chest."

"I was living with Honor, and she threw a party for whatever reason, I don't even remember. I was in a craptastic mood and didn't want to be around anyone, much less stuck at a party. I just wanted to sleep the day away, but Honor refused to let me."

"Why were you in such a bad mood?"

"It was the anniversary of the day I asked you to marry me . . ."

"Logan, I am so sorry . . ."

"Anyway, Mom and dad were at the party, and Honor had me invite Paris, Collin and Finn. We were all hanging out, and then mom saw Paris talking to dad and got all jealous and decided to butt into the conversation. She heard Paris introduce herself as a 'friend from Yale' and the next thing I know I hear her saying that Yale is a great school, and 'oh you must know that awful Gilmore girl that Logan dated. I am so glad that she is finally gone!' And I just lost it! I was already feeling pretty depressed, and I just couldn't handle it. I ripped into her like nobody's business."

"How crazy did she go?"

"I honestly don't even remember. Honor and Paris could probably tell you. I was completely fuming. I remember yelling at her for having the nerve to bring up your name, and telling her that I don't care who she thinks she is, but she had better never mention you ever again or I would be likely to do something that I would probably regret later on, and that she for sure would never see me again. I refused to have anything to do with her for the next 6 months. Honor had to beg me to show up for Christmas, and she had to get me seriously drunk to get me to actually go."

"You were drunk when all of that happened weren't you?"

"I was drunk a lot back then. I was pretty big on self medicating. I tried to stay sober when I had class, but any time I had a free day I was pretty trashed. And you know Finn was always more than happy to help. I would volunteer to babysit him just because I knew that I could count on him to get me plastered."

"There were so many times that I wish you had called me."

"There were so many times that I wanted to call you. I think that was the night that everyone found out just how messed up I was. I had been faking it so well to everyone, that only Honor knew the truth. But that night I was so upset that I just blurted everything out. I was done pretending and I just didn't care to try anymore. I might have even tried to call you that night, but I honestly can't remember."

"I cried myself to sleep a lot." Rory told him. "Especially on days that I looked at the calendar and the date stuck out."

"There are so many days that I wonder what would have happened had I finally gotten up the guts to call you."

"I've wondered the same thing."

"We sound pathetic." Logan laughed.

"I wouldn't call it pathetic. I would call it love sick."

"We've always been better together than we ever were apart."

"I agree."

"I don't like being away from you."

"It's lonely not being together." Rory agreed.

"It's going to be hard to go back to work next week."

"It will be tough, but it's healthy. I heard about this new invention called a cell phone. Apparently they make you able to talk all day, until we can be together at home again." Rory told him.


	24. Chapter 24

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I've been working with my bff to write and edit everything, so I can get it all posted here. So thank you to her for just being her. :-D

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews this weekend. I love reading what you have to say, and for those who have pointed out things that I have overlooked, thank you, I've made adjustments. Both me and my editor seem to have missed a few things, but thank you for pointing them out.

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

* * *

"So I was thinking that since we got my dad all settled into the rehab center, and we've still got a couple days before I have to be back at work, we should do something fun while we are in California." Logan said as they drove down the freeway.

"Logan, we have newspapers to check in on."

"I know that, but it doesn't mean that we have to spend all of our time there. We just have to meet with the editors for a couple of hours."

"Yeah, the editors of 6 different papers. That equals about 12 hours of meetings."

"And that is where you are wrong my beautiful brainy wife."

"Logan, it's simple math. 6 papers times two hours a piece. That is 12 hours of meetings. Plus drive time. They are all 30-45 minutes apart which in California means 2 hours on the freeway between each one."

"Not if I made a phone call and got everything arranged so that there are only two meetings on two different days. And I might have set each one for 8am so that even if they ran long we could still have the entire rest of the day to have some fun."

"So you have something up your sleeve then?" Rory guessed.

"Well, I might know that you love roller coasters. And the Los Angeles area might be the home to a few of the biggest coasters in the country."

"You're serious?"

"I might have already bought us tickets to Six Flags, Knotts Berry Farm, and Disneyland."

"Logan, it's almost 1:00."

"And Knotts Berry Farm is right there." Logan said pointing out the window as they got off the freeway. They don't close until 11pm tonight, so we have another 10 hours of play time."

"You really are a perpetual child sometimes."

"30 years hanging with Finn had to rub off at some point." Logan laughed. "We can stuff our faces with all of the amazing theme park junk food that we can get our hands on. Funnel cakes, cotton candy, giant pretzels, churros, nachos, coney dogs, bottomless French fries."

"We are going to be so sick!"

"But we are going to have an amazing time! We might not get to take an official honeymoon right now, but I thought that since we are here anyway, we might as well enjoy ourselves."

"You are crazy, you know that, right?"

"I do know that. But you love it!"

"So we are going to Knotts Berry Farm right now, and then tomorrow we have a newspaper meeting."

"8am in Santa Clarita." Logan told her.

"And then what?"

"Six Flags is in Santa Clarita."

"So editors meeting then roller coasters."

"That's right."

"Which means Disney on Thursday."

"Which means I booked us a suite at The Grand Californian in Downtown Disney tonight."

"Are you for real?"

"I know that you aren't into the whole Disney thing, but I figured if we are going to Disneyland, we might as well do Disney right."

"You are adorable."

"We are getting Mickey ears hats."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"And we are wearing them all day while we are there."

"It's cute how you think that."

"Would you rather have a princess hat?"

"You mean a tiara?"

"No, you've worn plenty of those. We would get you a real princess hat. Maybe with Rapunzel hair."

"You're off your rocker."

"And I am fully ok with that."

"I love how excited you are for all of this."

"I just wish that we had one more day to go to Universal Studios."

"We are flying back on Friday, and it's a 6 hour flight."

"What time do you work on Saturday?"

"8am-8pm"

"So you are giving us an entire day to fly home."

"I figured it was a good idea so we could get settled."

"What if we changed our flight?"

"And why would we do that?"

"Because my husband is a perpetual child and for some odd reason he's talking responsibility instead of endless play time. Have we suddenly switched brains or something? You aren't usually the responsible adult in this relationship."

"So you are telling me that you want to play for one more day and sleep on the plane ride home."

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"You drive a hard bargain there Mrs. Huntzberger!"

"So Universal Studios is a go for Friday then?"

"What my wife wants, my wife gets."

"I think this is the perfect honeymoon! We should have thought of this sooner." Rory said as Logan parked the car.

"Let's go have some fun!"

* * *

"Logan really took you to Disneyland?" Honor asked as she sat having lunch with Rory on Saturday."

"He did, and he was so cute about it too. Logan insisted on us getting Mickey ears hats and everything. It was adorable!"

"That is so funny because Logan isn't a Disney person."

"I know, and I'm not either. But he was so cute, I couldn't say no. We went to 4 theme parks in 4 days, and the entire thing was so much fun! We adulted in the morning, then played for the rest of the day. It was the perfect trip!"

"Did you go on the tea cups at Disneyland?"

"We did and I thought I was going to throw up. They had something similar at six flags, but they spun even faster. I was so dizzy, and Logan was giggling like an idiot. It was seriously adorable!"

"Some days I swear Logan is still 5 years old."

"He's a perpetual child." Rory agreed. "We ate so much junk food. Logan insisted on getting funnel cake, cotton candy, pretzels, ice cream, churros, and all the other typical theme park junk he could possibly find. It was ridiculous! He was hitting every food stand he could find. I love snacking just as much as the next person, but right now all I want for the next month is salad."

"It sounds like you had an amazing trip. Sometimes it's good to just let go and act like a child for a while."

"It was a lot of fun! With everything that has been going on lately, 4 days of theme park hopping was much needed! We had a blast!"

"I am so glad! And you will be happy to know that I talked to Dad last night, and he is doing really well. He gets to play golf, swim laps in the pool, he goes to the gym every day, and he says that the food is really good. He was telling me that it kind of feels like a vacation instead of rehab."

"That is awesome! Have you talked to his care team?"

"I did. The said that they are working on building up his endurance. Every day they push him a little more. He is doing yoga in the morning and again in the evenings, he gets on the bike and treadmill at the gym and is doing light weight lifting. They are working on all kinds of different activities to keep him active and interested. It actually sounds pretty fun. And it's a bunch of older rich people, so I'm sure Dad is making friends. It'll be interesting to see what kind of business you end up getting out of all of this."

"How was everything at the office while we were gone?"

"It wasn't too bad. We got all the financials you requested from the papers you met with. The analysis team is looking over everything and will be ready to meet with you Monday morning to go over what they've found. I've got our Europe trip booked in three weeks, and everything is arranged for Logan to go for a few days. We will be back just in time for Thanksgiving which your mom already requested that you guys be at, and your grandparents requested Christmas eve."

"Is it bad that I forgot that all of that is coming up?" Rory asked.

"And that is why you have me as a second assistant. I've totally got your back!"

"Thank you Honor! I know this newspaper stuff was never what you wanted to do, but I really appreciate all your help."

"It's totally not what I ever wanted to do, but I get to hang out with you, and I am actually having fun. Doyle is taking care of all the boring business stuff, and letting me take on all the fun stuff like the travel plans and galas we are expected to go to or throw ourselves. I live for this kind of stuff!"

"Logan set you up with a salary, right?"

"He did, but I'll tell you a little secret. Logan and I have been getting a salary from HPG since we were born."

"Somehow that doesn't even surprise me."

"I honestly don't even need the salary. It's just going into an account for our kids someday. Or for yours if we don't end up having any. We'll just pay for your kids to go to college too."

"Honor, you really don't have to do that."

"I know, but I want to. I love doing things for other people. And my little brother is one of my favorite people in the whole world. I would do anything for you guys."

"You could always adopt a baby, you know."

"Yeah, we've talked about it. It might eventually happen. We are still weighing all of our options right now. There isn't any rush to have kids right now. We figure it will happen when the time is right."

"You have a really great attitude about everything."

"I try to stay positive. I've realized just how lucky I am, so there is zero point in being a Debbie Downer. There are other people in this world who would kill to have my petty problems. I honestly have no reason to complain about my life at all. Oh, speaking of life, I found you a house!"

"You did?"

"I did! And it's in my neighborhood too!"

"Do tell!"

"So my neighbor across the street just decided to sell her house. They are moving to Long Island. But their house is gorgeous! I actually told her that I would bring you to see it today. She was going to list the house this week, but I am so sure that you guys will completely love it, that I convinced her to hold off for a few days."

"That is awesome!"

"She is supposed to call me this afternoon when she gets back from her son's soccer game, and then I can take you over. So you think that Logan can take off work for a while?"

"I honestly don't know. He's been gone for so long that he might not be able to, but we can ask. If they aren't too busy, maybe he can take a late lunch break?"

"Do you want me to text him?"

"I can call him. He'll answer if he isn't too busy." Rory said as she dug through her purse looking for her phone.

"Has Logan figured out his new schedule yet?"

"I think so. Right now the plan is to do Monday -Wednesday at the office, then Thursday-Saturday at the hospital, and have Sundays off to spend together. He's working this weekend because he was gone for so long and they needed someone to cover for Doctor Greenley's anniversary. Logan will basically be working 9 days straight."

"It's nothing he hasn't done before." Honor laughed. "I know he would hate hearing it, but he definitely got Dad's work ethic. When Logan gets on a roll, he has a hard time stopping."

"He's like that with everything. I've never been able to keep up with him. Logan is basically the energizer bunny."

"It's funny that your say that because that is exactly what our nanny called him when we were little. He was always on the go, and never ran out of steam."

"So he hasn't changed a bit then."

"Not so much. The only time he hasn't been that way was when he was going through all of that bad depression while you two were apart. He tried to hide his feelings, but I know him way better than Logan even knows himself, and I always knew what was going on."

"Can I ask you something?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, of course!"

"Sometimes I just wonder, did you ever want to, I don't know if these are the right words for it, but did you ever wonder what would have happened if you had just forced both of us to deal with the situation? Like force us to see each other, or at least talk?"

"You know, I actually did. I wonder that all the time. I have for years, and I know that Logan wonders the same thing. What would have happened had I called you, or had I thrown Logan in the car and tracked you down on the campaign trail? Maybe I should have tricked you both into meeting up somewhere and locked you in a room together for 24 hours until you either killed each other, or finally admitted your feelings, and got back together. Some days I feel like I did Logan a huge disservice by not pushing you guys together. But then other days, I didn't feel like it was any of my business, and that I needed to stay out of it."

"Sometimes I wish someone had just locked us in a room together."

"I was seriously considering it at one point. I got really fed up with Logan constantly moping around."

"I hate that we wasted so much time. And now some days I feel like we are rushing around trying to make up for the last 9 years. Like even for as much as I really wanted that big fancy wedding, I just didn't want to wait for it anymore. I kind of felt like if we didn't get married now, it just wouldn't ever happen. We would wait and wait, and time would just keep on ticking by, and it just wouldn't ever be the right time. We've only been back together for about a month now, and in a way it feels like it's been a few years because so much has happened lately. It's like we are living in warp speed."

"I totally get it. Have you talked to Logan about how you are feeling?"

"Not really. A tiny bit, but not so much. I love him a lot and I am so grateful for him and everything he does for me. I am so glad he is back in my life, but it just feels like everything is rushed because we have to make up so much time. We aren't 22 anymore. It's like the clock is ticking, and we need to catch up."

"I totally get that. I feel like that with wanting to have a family. I'm 37. Most of my friends had babies by age 25. All of the others had them by 32. And here I am just sitting around, trying to get pregnant and it just doesn't happen. We tried fertility treatments and everything, and still nothing. All of my check ups and testing keep coming up fine. There is nothing wrong with me, but for some reason I'm just not getting pregnant."

"Did Josh get tested?"

"Oh yes! Several times. He's all good too. God apparently just doesn't want us to have a baby yet. Which is fine, but some days I just really wish he could explain it all to me. Tell me why he won't help us right now, or at least why we have to wait so long."

"Have you thought about maybe getting a surrogate?"

"We talked about it once. We just don't know if we can trust someone we don't know, or even half of the people that we do know."

"So I guess you've talked to Paris about everything then."

"Yep! Paris and like ten other doctors everywhere between here and California, as well as several in Europe. We've been doing this for a while."

"I am so sorry Honor! This must be so hard for you."

"It is at times, but it's not the end of the world. We can always find a surrogate, and/or adopt. I am just trying to stay positive and let God do his thing." Honor told her as her cell phone began to ring, and Honor reached into her purse to retrieve it. "You should call Logan and see if he can take a break. It's my neighbor Maggie."

"I'll wait until you are done." Rory told her as Honor answered the call.

"This is Honor!... Hi Magdeleina!... Yes, that would be wonderful!... Yes, I am with her right now... Yes, for sure! You are so kind... Yes we definitely can. Let me just call my brother, can I shoot you a text message in just a few minutes?... That would be wonderful! Thank you so much!... Ok, thank you, we will see you soon." Honor said, then disconnected the call. "Magdeleina says that we can come over right away if we would like to. She is home, and putting some cookies into the oven, so to just let her knew when we are in our way."

"That is awesome! Let's facetime Logan." Rory said as she began punching buttons on her phone.

"Hey Beautiful! I miss you today!" Logan said as he appeared on the screen. "How is your day going?"

"It's going good! I am having lunch with Honor." Rory said turning her phone so Logan could see his sister.

"Hi baby brother!" Honor said with a little wave.

"Hey Honor! Are you two having a good time?"

"We are. I actually called you because Honor found us a house, and we wanted to know if maybe you could take a late lunch break to come see it with us."

"I'm not really sure, but that might be possible. We aren't too busy today, and we do have two other doctors here. What time were you going head over there? Where is this house?"

"It's across the street from me." Honor said moving closer to Rory so she could talk to her brother as well. You remember Magdeleina, right? She is moving to Long Island, and is going to be listing her house for sale. I talked her into waiting a few days because I really think that you might like it. She is home right now and called to tell me that we can go over to look if we are available."

"Why don't the two of you head over there, and I will go talk to Doctor Robinson and see if he is ok with me leaving for a little while, and I will shoot you a text to let you know."

"That sounds great!" Honor told him.

"What did you have for lunch?" Logan asked.

"Chicken Caesar salad." Rory told him. "Wanna see it?"

"No, I believe you. That does sound really good after all the junk food we've eaten this week."

"I'll bring you my leftovers."

"That's ok. I had a sandwich from the cafeteria about an hour ago. But thank you for the offer. I was just curious what you were eating. Are you at Shelley's?"

"We are."

"I would tell you to grab some chocolate cake on your way out, but you might hurt me."

"We'll come back another day." Rory laughed.

"I'll hold you to that." Logan smiled. "Ace, I'm going to let you go so I can go talk to Doctor Robinson, but I'll text you in a few minutes, ok?

"OK. I love you Logan."

"I love you too Ace. See you soon." He said, then disconnected the call.

"Can I just say that I love how sweet my little brother is to you?"

"Logan has always been like this. Some days it feels like nothing has changed." Rory told her as they both got up from their table to leave the restaurant they were at.

"You two are totally perfect together! I am so glad you found your way back."

"Me too. I really missed him."

"Josh has always been super sweet to me but only rarely is he ever sappy sweet like Logan is. Josh calls him a sappy girl."

"That's funny. Logan is definitely sentimental. I think it's really cute."

"Yeah he is! That boy worships you!"

"He's an amazing husband. I kind of just follow his lead on things because most of the time, he actually knows best."

_I will meet you at Honor's_

_Leaving the hospital now_

Logan texted Rory, letting her know that he was able to meet them to look at the house across the street from Honor's.

_Please drive safe_

_See you soon_

Rory texted back

"Logan is on his way to your house." Rory told Honor as they headed for her car. "He says he will meet us at your house."

* * *

"There's my beautiful wife!" Logan said a half hour later as he opened the car door for Rory to exit Honor's car after they pulled into the garage at her house.

"Hey Babe!" Rory cheerfully responded hugging and kissing her husband.

"Geez you newlyweds are sickeningly cute." Honor laughed.

"Hello to you too big sister." Logan said giving Honor a hug as well. "Did Rory give you your present?"

"She did. Thank you Logan. The Little Mermaid was my favorite movie when we were little and you actually remembered."

"Well now you can have a pretty Mermaid to go with your beach theme sun room."

"That is a good idea but I think I'm going to put her on my dresser for a while. She can go sit in the shells in the sun room later on."

"How is your day going?" Rory asked as Logan slipped his arms around her, waiting for Honor before going to see the neighbor's house.

"It's been good. It's nice to be back. But I miss being with you all day."

"Has anything interesting come into the ER today?"

"Not yet. I've done some stitches, seen several sick people, and had a couple broken bones, one concussion. It's been pretty uneventful."

"That's good. A nice slow first day back is awesome."

"Are you guys ready to go see the house?" Honor asked.

"Yes please!" Rory answered still facing Logan.

"Alright, quit staring at each other all gooey eyed and let's go."

"Hey we aren't gooey eyed!" Logan told her.

"Yeah that's a lie if I've ever heard one! You're honeymoon phase is adorable but it's making me a little nauseous."

"Then stop looking!"

"Something tells me I may regret having you so close by."

"Just remember, you did this to yourself! This was all YOUR idea!"

"Alright you two!" Rory said as they followed Honor across the street to get neighbor's house where she knocked on the door.

"Honor, hello, you look lovely today!"

"Hi Magdeleina! This is my little brother Logan and his wife Rory."

"Hello, so nice to meet you. Won't you come in?!" Magdeleina greeted them with a friendly smile.

"Logan, Honor tells me you are a doctor."

"Yes, I am." Logan told her.

"How long have you been practicing medicine?"

"About 5 years. I finished my residency last year."

"Excellent! Good doctors are so hard to come by! And Rory, I hear you work in newspaper publishing."

"Yes, I do." Rory answered.

"That is very nice Dear. I worry that newspapers are dying out."

"They are to some extent. The industry is changing for sure."

"Well come come, I hear you are looking to buy your first home. Tell me, what is it that you are looking for?"

"We just got married two weeks ago, and we are looking for something with some space for a family someday, and also enough space for when our friends and family come visit. And we want to be close to work since I am on call quite a bit, and Rory will be working long hours at the office. We like this neighborhood because it is gated and quiet, and being near my sister would be great."

"You won't mind being directly across the street?"

"I lived with Honor while I went to medical school and completed my residency. We are very close."

"What about you Rory? How do you feel about being so close to your in-laws?"

"I don't think of Honor as my in-law. We are really close friends. She is one of my assistants at work. Being so close will be great!"

"Having close family is wonderful. You are very lucky."

"Thank you, we are very blessed." Honor told her. Magdeleina, this house is beautiful!"

"Thank you Honor! We do love it, but it's time for us to move on, and move out of the city. I only have Gregory at home now, and we just don't need this large of a home anymore. It is time for us to sell and move closer to our family."

"How long have you lived here?" Rory asked.

"We bought this house as it was being built 20 years ago. We picked all the faucets and cabinets. Half of this house ended up being custom. Come come. I'll show you everything."

* * *

"What did you guys think?" Honor asked as they walked back across the street to her house.

"It's beautiful!" Rory told her. "I love that they have their own library!"

"Just the library room alone is perfect for Rory!" Logan told her.

"There is plenty of room for you to work from home when you want to, and tons of room for kids and for your family to come visit." Honor told them.

"I like that master bathroom. That shower is incredible!"

"Right?! I want that rain fall ceiling! I wonder if we can remodel to get one."

"The basketball court in the backyard could be fun." Rory added.

"Magdeleina said it changes over to a tennis court too." Honor agreed.

"Did you see the built in grill? That alone makes me want the house!" Logan said as they walked into Honor's garage.

"So do you think you'll put in an offer?" Honor asked.

"We'll talk about it. The banks are all closed until Monday anyway. But we need to talk to Collin about it first or he'll kill us."

"I can talk to him when I pick up Rocky." Rory told him.

"I've gotta get back to work, do you need a ride home?"

"I can just go with you and take your car if you don't mind."

"That works. Are you ready to go?"

"I am. Thank you so much for lunch Honor, and for taking us to see the house." Rory said turning to look at Logan's sister.

"It was my pleasure. Just let me know what you decide to do, ok?"

"We will. I've gotta get back to work before my pager starts going off. I'll call you later." Logan told her.

"You guys drive safe. Let me know if you need anything."

"We will. We'll see you Monday morning." Rory said, then followed Logan to his car.

"I love that dress on you." Logan said, opening the car door for his wife.

"Really?"

"You look beautiful today."

"Thanks Babe!" Rory said kissing him before taking her seat and waiting for Logan to get in the car himself.

"Have I told you that you look hot in scrubs?"

"I was going to shower before coming over, but I needed to save time."

"Well you still look hot. I have zero complaints."

"Well thank you." Logan said as he pulled out of Honor's driveway, and headed back to the hospital. "So you are going to get Rocky?"

"Yeah, I told Stephanie I would come by and take our dog back."

"If they don't mind waiting until I get off, I can go with you."

"Logan, you need to come home and sleep tonight so you can go back to work super early in the morning. We haven't slept much lately."

"And have I complained at all?"

"Not even once, but you've got to be exhausted."

"It's worth it because I'm with you."

"How about I go get Rocky, and I will talk to Collin. We will call you if he has any questions. Then, when I pick you up from work, we can go home, have some dinner, and go to bed early. We can fall asleep watching a movie if that's what you want."

"I just want to be with you."

"Well I am not going anywhere. You get off work at 8, right?"

"Unless something changes."

"So I will pick you up, and I will have dinner ready when we get home.

"Are you going to cook?"

"Yeah right! We both know that you didn't marry me for my cooking abilities. I'll figure something out."

"Nope, but I did marry you for some of your other abilities." Logan said with a wink.

"Well, just for the record, I married you for all of that AND your cooking abilities."

"You are making it really hard for me to go back to work right now."

"And there goes your pager." Rory said laughing at the beeping that started .

"What does it say?" Logan asked as Rory pulled the pager off his pants.

"ER overflow need backup."

"Damn it!"

"We are only like a minute away. It'll be fine."

"I hope it's something that we can take care of quickly and doesn't last all night. I have plans to go home to my wife at a decent hour tonight.


	25. Chapter 25

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I've been working with my bff to write and edit everything, so I can get it all posted here. So thank you to her for just being her. :-D

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews this weekend. I love reading what you have to say, and for those who have pointed out things that I have overlooked, thank you, I've made adjustments. Both me and my editor seem to have missed a few things, but thank you for pointing them out.

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

* * *

3 Weeks Later

"Hey Honor?"

"Rory, what's wrong?" Honor asked hearing panic in Rory's voice.

"Can you come over? I need help?"

"I'm on my way." Honor said disconnecting the call, then hurrying through her house, and across the street to get to Rory. "Rory?" She called as she knocked on the front door before letting herself in. "Rory? Where are you?"

"Bedroom!" Rory answered as best she could.

"Rory? Is everything ok?" Honor yelled as she ran up the stairs and down the hallway. "Omg, Rory! What happened?" Honor asked seeing Rory sitting on the floor hunched over, holding her arm.

"I fell trying to get out of bed." Rory said with tears running down her face. "I don't know what happened. Either my foot got caught or I tripped I don't even know. I just fell headfirst, and landed on my hand, then rolled onto my arm. It really hurts!"

"That sounds painful. Here, let me see." Honor said crouching down next to her.

"I can't feel my fingers."

"Where is Logan? Is he at work?"

"Yeah, he went in at 6am."

"Ok, let's get you up. I'm going to help you get dressed, and take you to the hospital."

"Logan didn't answer when I called him."

"That's ok. He's probably busy, but I still want him to look at it. You wrist might just be sprained, but we need to have it checked just in case. Can you stand up?" Honor asked holding her hand out to help pull Rory up.

"There is pain shooting up and down my arm from my shoulder to my hand."

"Ok, I'm going to find you some clothes. Do you want to sit down and I'll bring you something to wear?"

"Find something without metal in case Logan wants another MRI."

"Yoga pants and a sweatshirt it is!" Honor said heading into Rory's closet. "Any idea which box your clothes are in?"

"No, we just moved yesterday. I was planning to start unpacking this morning."

"I will help you when we get back."

"Just start dumping boxes. I'll deal with it later." Rory said following Honor into the large walk in closet.

"How are you going to get unpacked and organized enough to pack for Europe when we leave in two days?"

"My mom and Luke are coming over tomorrow to help. Figure I'll pack whatever I can find, and whatever I'm missing, I'll just buy while we're there."

"So you've turned into me!" Honor laughed as she emptied a box of clothes out, then moved onto the next one.

* * *

40 Minutes Later

Columbia Presbyterian Hospital

"Hi, can you page Doctor Huntzberger, please?" Honor asked approaching the reception desk with Rory.

"I'm sorry, Doctor Huntzberger is with a patient. Is there something that I can help you with?" the nurse asked.

"Please page him right away. It's a family emergency."

"I've tried to call him, but he hasn't answered."

"I will be just a moment, we've been really busy today. Why don't you take a seat, and I will see if I can track him down."

"Thank you, but we'll wait here." Honor said as the nurse disappeared through a door.

"Hey Doctor Huntzberger, do you have a minute?"

"What do you need?" Logan asked as he stopped on his way down the hall

"There is a woman at the front desk asking for you. She says it's a family emergency."

"Blonde or brunette?" Logan asked.

"Blonde, but there is brunette with her."

"Crap! Sounds like my sister and my wife." Logan said following the nurse back to the waiting room.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that you were married."

"Honor? What's going on?" Logan asked as he walked through the door, and saw his sister standing next to the desk.

"We've been trying to call you. Rory fell about an hour ago, and is in a lot of pain. She called me for help, so I brought her here."

"Ace, are you ok?" Logan asked, seeing Rory wince in pain when he laid his hand on her shoulder. "I'll take that as a no. Let's go. Amelia, what room is open?"

"Try 23." the nurse answered.

"Thank you, I'll register her myself. Rory, can you tell me what happened?" Logan asked escorting the girls back through the emergency department.

"I feel so stupid. I was getting out of bed to go take Rocky out, and get some coffee, and I don't know what happened. I don't know if my foot got caught in the blankets, or if I tripped, or what happened, but the next thing I knew, I fell head first out of bed, and landed on my hand, then somehow rolled onto my arm."

"Babe!"

"Her hand and wrist are pretty swollen." Honor told him. "When I got there, Rory said that she had pain shooting up and down her arm, and she couldn't feel her fingers."

"How long ago was this?"

"It's been about an hour."

"Rory, how are you feeling now?" Logan asked as they walked into a room.

"My whole arm hurts from my fingers to my shoulder, and a lot of the pain is in my wrist and elbow."

"What about your fingers? Can you move them?"

"A little. The feeling is starting to come back, but they're still kind of numb."

"Sit down on the bed and let me look at it. I'll be gentle, but will probably hurt at least a little bit."

"I'm sorry we are taking up your time Logan, I just didn't know what else to do, and I knew you would want to check her out."

"No, Honor, you did the right thing. I'm sorry I missed your calls, things have been crazy this morning. It doesn't look like anything is broken. Can you show me where it hurts the most?"

"All the way around my wrist. There is pain shooting from my wrist to my elbow, and moving my fingers makes it worse." Rory said pointing to a few spots along her wrist.

"Can you make a fist for me?"

"Not comfortably."

"Squeeze my fingers." Logan said holding two fingers out on each hand. "I'm not gonna lie, your grip sucks."

"So what do we do?" Honor asked.

"X-rays and MRI. I'm pretty sure nothing is broken, but I'm going to check for fractures just in case. Unfortunately the x-rays don't show tissue, so we'll still need to get an MRI to check for tendon and muscle tearing."

"So no eating or drinking? Because I still haven't had any coffee."

"No, you can eat and drink all you want. It's not an emergency, so even if you need surgery, it won't happen today."

"Why don't I go get us some breakfast. Logan, do you want anything?" Honor asked.

"Just get me whatever. I'm not picky. The cafe on the third floor has better food and coffee than the cafeteria. If you tell them I sent you, they'll put it on my tab."

"Rory, any requests?"

"I don't care. It hurts too much to think."

"I'll be back in a few minutes. Call or text me if you need anything."

"Thanks Honor." Logan said moving to the computer as Honor left the room.

"Logan, you know I don't like asking, but will you please make the pain stop."

"Unfortunately, I can't request pain killer for my wife. I'll get another doctor in here right now though. Technically I'm not supposed to be treating you, but as long as I'm not asking for drugs, we should be ok. Will you hit the call button for me?"

"I am so sorry Logan." Rory said as a tear snaked its way down her face.

"No, Ace, it's ok. Please don't cry." Logan said moving to the bed, and pulling Rory into his arms. "I am so sorry I wasn't there. But you did the right thing calling Honor, and then having her bring you here. Had I been able to answer when you called, I would have told her to bring you in. Everything is going to be ok. I am going to make this better."

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm just emotional. I feel like an idiot."

"You aren't an idiot. These things happen. I am going to make it all better, but I need to get the imaging." Logan said loosening his arms around her. "I need to go get your vitals registered, can you come with me?"

"How horrible do I look?"

"You don't look horrible. You look beautiful, even with red puffy eyes." Logan said kissing her forehead.

"Yeah, you're a bad liar!"

"Hey Ace, I have to ask you this because I am ordering imaging, but I need a honest answer, ok?"

"Ok?" Rory said giving Logan a quizical look.

"Do you think that there is any chance that you could be pregnant?"

"Uh . . ." Rory started, but then stopped, as she tried to think back over everything in her head. "I uh . . . I don't know . . . Gosh, that sounds ridiculous. How could I not know?!" she asked, starting to panic.

"Ok . . . Well I guess we are going to have to find out."

"Logan, we didn't even talk about this."

"I know. But it's fine. We'll do a test, and it'll be fine. No matter what the test says, everything will be fine. If you are pregnant, that's great. But if you aren't, that is totally fine too. It will be ok. But as your doctor, I have to know before sending you to imaging."

"Is it bad that I am completely terrified?"

"No. I'm scared too. But it'll be ok. We have plenty of time to prepare if you are."

"So you are saying that you would be ok with me being pregnant?"

"I would love for you to be pregnant."

"But what if I'm not?"

"Well, then we keep trying." Logan smiled as he moved over to a cabinet, and pulled out a small plastic cup with a lid on it. "Let's go get your vitals, then we will come back here, and you can go use the bathroom. I'll take it to the lab myself."

"Paris isn't here today, right?"

"No, she doesn't work weekends. But you will need to call her if the test comes back positive. The lab sends all positive test results to her office. Are you ready to take a walk?"

"How many people here will see the results?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it. Nobody can access your information without you being their patient. It'll be me and the lab. And maybe Doctor Johnson if he wants to pull it up."

"Ok." Rory agreed.

"Come on, let's go get your vitals." Logan said holding out his hand for Rory to take so he could lead her out to triage to get her vitals.

* * *

"Hi Babe!" Rory said cheerfully when Logan walked into her room 45 minutes later.

"I just got a page saying that your results are in."

"What results?" Honor asked. "You got all your scans already?"

"So you know?" Rory asked.

"Not yet. I haven't checked the computer yet. I wanted to be with you when I do."

"What results?" Honor asked again, looking back and forth between her brother and Rory.

"I need to send Rory for x-rays and an MRI, but before we put in orders for any female patient, we have to ask them if there is any chance that they might be pregnant." Logan explained.

"And neither one of you was sure what that answer was . . . Oh my gosh, I am so excited! I didn't know that you were even trying?"

"We weren't. But we weren't not trying either."

"So you have the test results?"

"They're in the computer."

"Rory, why didn't you tell me? We've been sitting here talking since I got back with food, and you didn't say a word!"

"I didn't want to jinx it." Rory told her.

"So are you ready?" Logan asked.

"I don't know . . . I mean, it's not like I really have much of a choice."

"Rory, come here. I want you to look with me." Logan said as he logged into the computer.

"How many times have you had to tell a patient that they're pregnant?" Honor asked as Rory got up from her spot on the bed, and moved over to stand next to Logan at the computer.

"Quite a few times. But the patient has never been my wife. I've never actually been invested in the results."

"What do you guys want the results to be? Do you want it to be positive?"

"I would honestly be fine either way. If we get a positive, awesome, but if we don't, we try again."

"And Rory?"

"I think the same? I mean, I never thought about it at all until now. We haven't even talked about having a baby."

"But if it's positive?"

"Then I guess we are having a baby?"

"And what if you get a negative?"

"Then we can maybe start trying?" Rory said looking up at Logan as he slid his arm around her.

"Either way, we will be happy." Logan told her. "We definitely didn't plan to start a family so soon, but like I said before, we weren't not trying either. Whatever happens, happens."

"So are you going to look, or are we going to sit here all day?" Honor asked.

"Are you ready?" Logan asked, looking down at Rory.

"Is anyone ever ready for this?"

"No matter what this says, I still love you just as much, ok?

"I love you too." Rory said softly as Logan kissed her gently, then clicked on her patient profile on the computer.

"Ok, look right there." Logan told her, pointing at the screen where the word PREGNANT was lit up in red letters. Rory gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, and turned to face Logan, burying her face in his shoulder as he wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Can I come look now?" Honor asked, seeing her brother nod, then point as the screen for her as he held his wife. "Oh my gosh! You guys!" Honor squealed.

"Babe, are you ok?" Logan asked.

"Yeah . . . Just in shock." she answered pulling away from Logan, and sitting back down on the bed.

"Ok. Because I want to run a couple tests since you are here anyway. You said you don't know how you fell, whether you tripped or your foot got caught. I want to run a couple of tests, just to make sure everything is ok. See if maybe you blacked out for a minute, or something. I'm sure everything is fine, I just want to be extra sure. And I am going to call Paris in for a few minutes to do an ultrasound. We need to tell her right away anyway, and it would be good to find out exactly how far along you are. Are you ok with all of that?"

"You're the doctor."

"Ok, I need to go get some stuff to draw your blood, and put your orders in for the x-ray and MRI. Unfortunately, I can't give you the anxiety medication before sending you for the MRI. It's not safe for the baby."

"And I'm sure an anxiety attack is just as good for a baby as medication is."

"I will see what I can do. There may be something else that we can try. We'll ask Paris when she gets here. Honor, if you have something else to do today, I can get someone else to come sit with Rory."

"I'm not going anywhere. My plans today were to help you guys unpack. Josh is playing golf, then he was going to come help with the unpacking too."

"Are you sure?" Logan asked.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I am now living vicariously through the two of you. Just call me Nanny Honor."

"Lorelai has already claimed the Nana name."

"I said Nanny, not Nana. Nanny, as in I claim all daycare and babysitting rights."

"Ok then." Logan laughed. "You hear that Ace? We just got ourselves a free built in babysitter!"

"Yeah." Rory answered softly.

"Ace, you ok?"

"Yeah . . . This is just all really overwhelming . . . My arm hurts."

"I know. I'm so sorry. I will go get you something for that right now. Everything is going to be ok. I know it's overwhelming right now, but everything is going to be ok. Give me a couple minutes to go get Doctor Johnson and I'll see if Valerie is in to do your blood draw. If she's not, I'll do it myself. Do you want me to call your mom or anything?"

"No, she's coming up tomorrow. She has stuff going on at the Inn today."

"Ok . . . I'll be back in a few minutes, alright?"

"It'll be fine." Honor told him. "I'll call you if we need you."

"Thanks Honor." Logan said, then kissed Rory's cheek and left the room.


	26. Chapter 26

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

I love reviews if you would like to leave me one. :-)

I started writing this story about a month ago, and just randomly decided to publish it, so I've been working with my bff to write and edit everything, so I can get it all posted here. So thank you to her for just being her. :-D

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews this weekend. I love reading what you have to say, and for those who have pointed out things that I have overlooked, thank you, I've made adjustments. Both me and my editor seem to have missed a few things, but thank you for pointing them out.

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

* * *

"Alright Huntzberger, why did you have me paged to come in?" Paris asked, cornering Logan in the hallway about an hour later.

"I have a patient that I need you to check out. She came in a couple hours ago after falling out of bed, and landing on her wrist and arm. I ordered a urine test before doing x-rays and it came back pregnant. We took the extra x-ray precautions, but we don't have any information about the pregnancy, and I need to send her for an MRI, but she is very claustrophobic. I also ordered a blood draw to see if we can find out if the pregnancy maybe contributed to her falling out of bed. She said that she doesn't know if her foot got caught when she was getting out of bed, or if she tripped. It sounds like she could have blacked out for a minute or something."

"Have any of the results come back yet?"

"Just the positive urine analysis and clear x-rays. I was hoping that you could go an ultrasound for me."

"Why didn't you call the on-call OB? You pulled me away from my kids today."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But you are the best OB in the hospital, and I would rather have you than anyone else."

"You owe me Huntzberger."

"I know I do. Thank you for coming in."

"Where is the patient?"

"Room 23."

"Do you have a portable ultrasound?"

"It's already waiting in the hallway."

"At least you had the brains to be prepared."

"I know better than to cross you." Logan chuckled, following Paris to Rory's room.

"So the only injuries from the fall are her arm?"

"It looks that way. Her wrist and hand are swollen, and she said there is pain shooting from her fingers to elbow and elbow to shoulder, and that the whole side of her arm hurts."

"Any bruising? Any signs of domestic violence?"

"None."

"Have you fully checked her over for any bruising or any other signs of a possible domestic."

"She's fine."

"But did you check?"

"Paris, can you please just trust me on this one?"

"I swear Huntzberger, if this is a domestic patient and you are failing to help her, I will take your license myself!" Paris said as Logan reached for the doorknob.

"After you."

"Are you freaking kidding me?! This is a joke, right?!" Paris asked, seeing Rory and Honor sitting in the room.

"Hey Paris!" Honor smiled. "It's nice to see you again."

"Why the elaborate story Huntzberger?" Paris asked turning back to Logan with her hands on her hips.

"It wasn't a story. Rory fell out of bed, and Honor brought her here to be checked out."

"So you're telling me that your wife is pregnant, and neither of you know when it happened?"

"Paris, it's not like we've been trying, but we haven't exactly been not trying either. We haven't been back together for very long, and things have been pretty crazy, which you know just as well as we do. So please, spare us all the lecture, and just do the ultrasound. I would do it myself, except I have no idea how to determine duration." Logan told her.

"Ok . . ." Paris said with a sigh. "Rory, when was your last period that you can remember?"

"Right before Logan and I got back together. I'm sorry Paris, things have been so crazy, that I didn't even realize that I hadn't had one until today."

"How long before?"

"I finished a couple days before I got hurt at work."

"Ok, and how long after that did you sleep with Logan?"

"The next night . . . Don't you dare judge me because you slept with Doyle the same night you ran into him at speed dating, and you had never dated before that. At least Logan and I had a long history." Rory ranted as Paris folded her arms across her chest, smirking as she slowly shook her head.

"And how often in the last couple months are you having intercourse?"

"We're newlyweds Paris. You do the math!" Logan told her.

"Wow, I did NOT need to know that!" Honor laughed.

"And I'm guessing that none of this has been protected?" Paris asked.

"Hi, we're married." Logan told her.

"They're standard questions Huntzberger. And there is the possibility that Rory could be about 8 weeks. Have you been feeling sick at all?"

"Not really. A little a few times. I've mostly been tired lately, but I figured that was just from the whole insane life thing that has been going on lately."

"You're lucky! But that nightmare could still be coming. You've got plenty of time left."

"Gee, thanks!" Rory said, rolling her eyes.

"So I guess you want to see the baby then."

"Isn't it too early for that?"

"Not at all. It'll only be a tiny blob of cells, but it'll definitely be visible."

"So you'll be my doctor, right?"

"Like I would let anyone else near my best friend. Come on now!"

"So Paris, I need your advice on the MRI. Is there anything that we can give Rory to help her through it? We need to check for torn muscles and ligaments in her arm." Logan told her.

"Rory, are you sure that this creep didn't do this to you? You know that you can tell me, and I'll beat the crap out of him right now."

"He wasn't even home Paris. I was getting out of bed to go get some coffee, and let Rocky out. I was going to unpack the new house today." Rory told her.

"So what happened?"

"I don't know. I just fell head first out of bed. I don't know if my foot got caught on blankets, or if I tripped, or what happened, but the next thing I knew, I landed right on my hand, then rolled onto my arm, and it's been really hurting ever since. I couldn't even feel my fingers when it first happened."

"Yeah, that's not good. Have you called Neuro?" Paris asked, turning to look at Logan. "I'm waiting for the MRI. If we need Neuro or Ortho, we'll call them. Right now all we know is that there are no breaks or fractures. Last I checked, her blood work still wasn't back."

"What have you done for pain?"

"Doctor Johnson gave her Norco."

"Have you given me access to her records?"

"I will right now." Logan said moving to the computer and logging in.

"You said the ultrasound is in the hall?"

"It should be right outside the door."

"I shouldn't be this excited to do an ultrasound."

"But this is your best friend, which kind of makes it your baby too." Honor told her as Paris pushed the ultrasound machine into the room, and started getting it all set up.

"That is true." Paris agreed. "I'm sure that I don't need to tell you guys this, but you might not want to go telling everyone about your pregnancy until you at least get through the first trimester. I would only recommend telling immediate family. That way, just in case something happens, you don't have to go explaining to the whole world that you had a miscarriage, or whatever."

"What is the likelihood of something happening?" Rory asked.

"It's fairly common. 10-20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, and about 80% of those happen within the first three months. The rest take place by the halfway point. Unfortunately, there is no actual cause of miscarriage, so we can't prevent it from happening. But lucky for you, you have me, and I will be closely monitoring you the entire time. I usually only do that for high risk pregnancies, but you're my best friend, so I will be all over you the entire time!"

"Thank you Paris. You are a great friend."

"Alright Paris, you have patient access." Logan told her.

"Thank you. Alright Rory, let's find out how far along you are.

"Skootch over a little bit." Logan said taking a seat on the bed next to Rory, sliding his arm around her.

"Are you guys excited?" Honor asked.

"Just a little bit." Logan admitted.

"I hope that you realize how lucky you are to not only be a doctor, but also to be my friend, because most patients have to wait until at least 12 weeks for this." Paris told him.

"I was tempted to do it myself, but I know that you can get the information we need that I don't know how to get."

"Do you want to learn?"

"Maybe another time." Logan told her as Paris moved Rory's sweatshirt out of her way, and tucked a towel into the top of her pants.

"This gel is going to be a little cold. I have it in a warmer up in my office."

"Something to look forward to, I guess." Rory commented as Paris squirted the gel onto her lower abdomen, then reached for the wand that sat on the machine.

"Alrighty, let's see what we've got here . . . Yep, you are definitely pregnant! Do you see this little jelly bean right here?" Paris asked pointing at the screen. "That is your baby . . . Let's see . . ."

"Ace, do you see that?" Logan asked, gently rubbing Rory's arm. "That tiny little jelly bean is our baby."

"Do you see this little blur right here? That is the baby's tiny legs, and you can see the arm buds right above."

"Wow, that is incredible!" Honor said excitedly.

"And this is where a lot of new parents burst into tears." Paris said as she hit a button and some swooshing noises poured through the speakers. "This is your baby's heartbeat. A perfect 160 beats per minute."

"Logan . . ." Rory said softly, with tears in her eyes.

"Hold on, I am recording this for you." Honor said grabbing her phone.

"And it's too early to tell what the gender is, right?" Logan asked.

"My office can do a blood test next week, if you'd like, or you can wait a few more weeks for the ultrasound. It looks like your baby is about an inch long. This right here in the head, and you can see the little flickering heart right here." Paris said pointing out the different parts. "It looks like you are right about 8 weeks, maybe 8 and and couple days, judging by your timeline of when you got back together. So definitely not a honeymoon baby."

"So we got pregnant the very first night we were back together?" Logan asked.

"It looks that way."

"Talk about a night to remember!" Honor commented.

"Well, at least it wasn't a one night stand!" Paris told them. "So kudos for knowing who the father is!"

"Funny!" Logan told her.

"Hey Paris, we are supposed to be leaving for Europe in two days. Am I still ok to go?" Rory asked.

"How long are you going for?"

"A week I believe?"

"We fly out Monday afternoon, have a meeting in London on Tuesday, Wednesday we are in Paris, Thursday we are in Copenhagen, Friday in Rome, and then we come back home on Sunday." Honor explained.

"Are you flying commercially?" Paris asked.

"No, not for business."

"Normally I don't recommend that much flying in such a short time. I want to see you as soon as you get back. Once you hit 30 weeks, I am grounding you, unless I need to sooner. And after this trip, no more than two flights in a week. If I need to, I will travel with you."

"I'll have Logan with me for a lot of the trips." Rory told her.

"Logan is a medical doctor, practicing general and emergency medicine. He's not an OBGYN."

"But he knows what to do if something happens, and he can take care of things. Plus, you are on speed dial in case he needs help."

"Please, we all know that I am a much better doctor than Logan is."

"Anyway!" Logan started. "Are we done with this? Because I still need to get that MRI done."

"I can give you Hydroxyzine."

"Super Benadryl? Really?"

"It's the only thing that is safe. It should knock her out, which quells the anxiety problem."

"Are there any other options?" Honor asked as Paris finished up the ultrasound, and wiped Rory's stomach off.

"You need to stop taking the anxiety meds I gave you, immediately. It's only Buspirone, but there isn't enough information available that says it's safe. However, there is a good chance that all of that anxiety you've been dealing with is a byproduct of the pregnancy."

"In all honesty, I stopped taking them after a week. They were making me break out in teenage pizza style acne. Logan told me that I could stop."

"Thanks for telling me."

"Sorry Paris, I forgot." Logan told her.

"Here are your pictures." Paris said handing a strip of pictures to Rory. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks Paris!"

"Is there anything else that you need?" Paris asked as she moved over to the computer to enter the information that she needed.

"No, I think we are ok now. Thank you Paris." Logan told her, as he looked over the ultrasound pictures with Rory.

"I am putting in a prescription for prenatal vitamins, you need to be sure to take them every day."

"Rory already takes all the stuff in my vitamin cupboard." Logan told her.

"Text me the labels, please. I'll let you know which ones can stay and which need to go. But I want you taking the prenatals, regardless. And I am ordering you hydroxyzine for your MRI. Let me know what the results say . . . By the way, your blood test is back."

"What does it say?" Logan asked.

"I am ordering IV fluids, you are dehydrated. I want two bags. You are also slightly anemic, but the prenatals should fix that. Your fall could have been a sudden dizzy spell. Those happen with pregnancy quite often. I want to know immediately if it happens again. If you get light headed or dizzy, call or text me. I would tell you that you need to be eating small meals throughout the day, but I'm sure that Logan will be all over that one. I am going to head home to my kids, but I will text you tomorrow with your appointment time when you get back. And I'll let Doyle know."

"Thank you Paris. I appreciate your help." Logan told her.

"Please take it easy this week. Don't get up too quickly, and make sure you eat."

"I will. Thank you Paris. Give the kids my love." Rory told her.

"I need to go check on a few things, but I'll be back shortly." Logan said as he got up from his seat on the bed. "I'll send Veronica in to do your IV."

"Ok. Thanks Babe." Rory said kissing him, then watching Logan follow Paris out of the room.

* * *

"Has she been sleeping this whole time?" Logan asked when he walked into the room 3 hours later.

"Hydroxyzine is awesome!" Honor told him.

"I was told that she slept through the scans the entire hour and a half that she was in there."

"Did you get the results back?"

"I did."

"Did Lorelai call you?"

"She did, she is on her way up."

"Did you tell her what happened?"

"Most of it."

"Which means?"

"Rory gets to be the one to share the pregnancy news."

"Are you going to tell Mom and Dad?"

"Eventually. There's no rush. Hey Ace . . . Honey, do you want to wake up?"

"Hey . . ." Rory said in a soft voice as she slowly opened her eyes.

"How would you like to go home?"

"You get the results back?"

"I did. It's just a sprain. I'm putting you in a brace for a couple weeks, but you are free to go home."

"Ok."

"Your mom is on her way up. She should be at the house within the next hour."

"Mom is coming today? I thought she wasn't coming until tomorrow?"

"She called to see if she could come up early. She is excited to see the house."

"Did you tell her?"

"Only that you hurt your arm. You get to tell her the rest."

"Ok."

"Let's get this brace on you, and I'll pull your IV so you can go home."

"Honor, can you take Rory home and stay with her until either Lorelai or I get there? I'm going to try to get out of here early."

"Yeah, of course! I'll get her in bed, and start unpacking."

"Would you mind working on one of the guest rooms so Luke and Lorelai have somewhere to stay tonight?"

"I can do that! Do you have linens and stuff for the bed?"

"Probably in one of the boxes."

"I have extras. I bought several new bed sets recently that haven't been touched. I'll have Josh bring them over. I'll get everything taken care of."

"Thanks Honor, you are an amazing sister!" Logan told her.


	27. Chapter 27

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

Here is the house tour that was asked for. My BFF that has been doing the editing for me has already told me that she is jealous of certain parts of the house. I am too! I actually modeled it partly after my aunt's house, the house that one of my mother's friends custom built, and then another part from Fresh Prince (which you will see later on).

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

* * *

Two hours later

Manhattan, New York

"We are turning on your street now, which one is yours?" Lorelai asked as they drove down the street toward Rory and Logan's new house.

"Go to the very end of the street, and we are the gray house on the left. The white one on the right is Honor and Josh."

"Oh, it's pretty! I like the color. That bay window is a great touch."

"That would be the dining room. It's beautiful! There is a ton of furniture that we'll need to buy."

"Maybe we can go tomorrow." Lorelai said as Luke parked in the driveway, and they both got out of the car.

"Hey Rory!" Luke greeted his daughter as she met them in the driveway. "We brought dinner."

"You didn't have to do that. Thank you Dad!"

"I brought pots and pans to cook because I wasn't sure if we would be able to find yours."

"Have I told you lately that I love you?"

"It's what Dads do."

"I'll call Logan and let him know. I think he was going to pick up food on the way home."

"I actually already talked to him. He's on his way." Lorelai said coming around the car to hug her daughter. "How are you feeling Sweetie?"

"I'm a little tired, but I got a nice nap at the hospital during and after the MRI. I've been supervising Honor and Josh while they unpack. Logan has them babysitting me."

"I can't believe you got hurt again!"

"Yeah, well, stuff happens. If Logan had been home when it happened, I wouldn't have had to go to the hospital. Honor took me because she wanted Logan to look at it, and didn't want to wait until he got home."

"At least with a sprain, you should be feeling better within the next couple days." Lorelai said as they heard the garage door open behind them.

"It looks like Logan is home." Rory said looking up to see his car his car coming down the street, and pull into the driveway. "Hey Babe! You've got perfect timing!"

"I see that." Logan said walking out of the garage to greet his in-laws. "Hey Lorelai, Luke, thanks for coming!"

"You are very welcome! Thanks for letting us come. I am dying to see this house! Rory has been telling me about it, but I couldn't wait any longer to get here."

"Just in case I forget to say it later, thank you for taking care of Rocky while we're gone."

"You don't have to thank us." Luke told him. "We are happy to do it."

"You guys want to head inside?" Rory asked.

"Lead the way!" Lorelai told her.

"Let's go through the front door. That might be a better place to start. Now keep in mind that we haven't gotten all of our stuff into the house yet. Some of it is still across the street in Honor's garage, and other stuff we'll still need to buy."

"This door is really nice. I like the solid oak." Luke told them.

"How big is this place again? I know you told me, but I can't remember." Lorelai said as they walked into the house.

"About 4,000 square feet, and we've got a full acre of land out back." Logan answered.

"That is a lot of yard!"

"It is, but it's also a good thing for us. If we need it down the road, we can put a helipad back there like what my parents have. We are so close to the office that we shouldn't ever need it though."

"How many bedrooms are there?" Luke asked.

"6 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, a full basement with cold storage, a library and an office."

"Interestingly enough, there are dual master bedrooms. One is a master suite, and one is just a typical master, which we decided will be the main guest room. Honor has been working to get it set up for you." Rory told them. "So this is the foyer, and the family room is right here off to the left. We don't have anything in here yet, so that is all on the shopping list."

"Rory, this room is beautiful! Look at that chandelier!" Lorelai said, looking around in awe.

"The former owner, Magdeleina, said that it's crystal and she had it custom made."

"If you ever decide to get rid of it, I want it for the Inn."

"Deal! I love the window in here, it really brightens everything up."

"You know what you should do? It is so close to Christmas already, that you should start decorating."

"That's not a bad idea." Logan agreed.

"We can get you multiple trees, and decorate the whole house! It'll be a winter wonderland!"

"Let's not get too carried away right now. We have a lot going on." Rory told her. "Let's go this way back through the foyer to the formal dining room. We don't have anything in here either, so we'll need to get a table and stuff as well."

"I think grandma still has her old table and chairs down in her basement that would look perfect in here. I'll have to text her a picture to see what she thinks. I'm pretty sure she'll be happy to give it to you."

"Really? That would be great! Thanks Mom!"

"This china hutch Magdeleina said they had custom built to go in here, so we'll figure out exactly what to do with that." Logan told them.

"I am sure my mother can help you with that too. She has all kinds of fancy china sitting in boxes in her basement, that she has no use for. Maybe we should make a list of what to ask Grandma for, and then invite my parents up when we decide to get movers to bring everything up from Hartford."

"Do you think Grandma will just let me have things?" Rory asked.

"Please, she's been trying to pawn stuff off on me for years, and I have nowhere to put it, nor do I want most of it. But a lot of it would actually look great in this house, and it'll save you from having to buy things yourself."

"Ok, but I'll let you talk to her about it since I don't really know what she's got."

"Let's head to the kitchen." Logan told them. "We have a bathroom right here on the right. It's small, but that's all we really need in this area. And this door on the left goes down to the basement. Now come back this way, and you have the kitchen in the center with the living room to the left."

"Hey Honor! Hey Josh!" Lorelai greeted the other guests.

"Hey Luke, hey Lorelai! It is so nice to see you!" Honor said giving them each a hug.

"Honor, thank you for taking care of Rory today."

"It was my pleasure. I'm just glad that she's ok. It was pretty worried when she called me this morning."

"I can tell you from experience, those calls never get easier. The last call I got, telling me that my daughter was being loaded into an ambulance, scared the hell out of me!"

"Oh my gosh, I can't even imagine! I remember getting that call about Logan when he went on that Costa Rica trip. Scariest moment of my life!" Honor told her. "How do you like the house so far?"

"It's beautiful! I absolutely love it! That family room is just gorgeous, and it's completely empty!"

"Right?! Just imagine what it will look like when we find the right furniture!"

"I like this kitchen!" Luke told them. "It's nice and open. There is plenty of space to cook without anyone being in anybody else's way."

"I like that too." Josh agreed. "And check out the double oven. Rory was saying that you might be moving in just to cook holiday dinners here."

"I might have to!" Luke agreed.

"Hey, what is this?" Lorelai asked, walking through the kitchen and stopping in front of the fridge, pointing at a picture that was stuck under a magnet. "This wasn't left here, was it?"

"Actually, that would be Grandma's first baby picture." Rory told her.

"Are you pregnant?!"

"We just found out." Logan told her.

"No way!" Lorelai squealed, throwing her arms around her daughter. "Oh Honey! I am so excited! When are you due?"

"About May 23rd." Rory said as Lorelai loosened her arms.

"Which means you are how far along?"

"8 weeks."

"Don't even start counting backwards." Logan told her. "This was YOUR doing!"

"I guess so!" Lorelai laughed. "I am so excited though! So I can keep this?"

"Yep! Honor had that copy made just for you. The rest are in my room upstairs."

"When did you find out?"

"Today, at the hospital. We had to do a test to find out before I could get x-rays. Logan had Paris come in, when the test came back positive, just to check everything out."

"Luke, look at this! We are going to be grandparents!"

"I see that. It looks like a jelly bean. Congratulations you guys! This is great news!"

"Thank you!" Logan told him.

"Just one request . . ." Rory started. "We aren't telling anyone else right now. Paris suggested that we at least get through the first trimester before sharing the news, just in case something were to happen."

"Oh, of course!" Lorelai told them. "That is the best thing that you can do. Maybe if you are lucky, and you hide it well enough, you can tell the rest of the family for Christmas. They will all be so excited that you won't even have to buy them any gifts."

"We'll see what happens." Logan said chuckling.

"Lorelai, we should go bring that food in from the car so it doesn't go bad." Luke suggested.

"That is a good idea. We brought dinner, and pans to cook it in." Lorelai explained when Josh and Honor gave them questioning looks.

"I'll come give you a hand." Josh offered.

"Thank you Josh!" Lorelai smiled, then followed the men out the door, with Honor right behind her.

"How are you feeling?" Logan asked his wife once they were alone in the kitchen.

"I'm ok. Just tired. How was the rest of your day?"

"It was alright. Today was pretty uneventful."

"I'm glad you're home."

"Me too." Logan said giving her a gentle kiss, then squatting down and kissing her stomach. "Hey baby. It's Daddy. I can't wait to meet you. I love you already!"

"And now I'm crying." Rory said wiping tears away that suddenly sprang to her eyes.

"Come here." Logan said standing back up, and pulling Rory into his arms. "I know we never talked about this, and it was all completely unexpected. But I am so excited! This, right here with you, this is everything that I have ever wanted. I love you so much, it literally hurts."

"I love you too." Rory said as Logan hugged her tightly to him.

"I picked up your medicine on my way out of the hospital." Logan said loosening his arms around Rory "I got you some nausea meds. I was told that they're the best thing there is on the market. I forgot to ask Paris for some before she left, but Doctor Johnson said that I was fine to write the prescription myself. You might not need them now, but you probably eventually will. Everything is in my bag."

"Thank you Logan! You have been so wonderful today."

"There is nothing that I wouldn't do for you. You are my wife, and the mother of my baby. I am so stupidly happy right now, that it's almost scary." he laughed.

"You're not scared?"

"Oh, I'm definitely scared. But the overwhelming excitement is still winning at the moment."

"I'm excited, but scared. I have no idea what I am doing."

"And that's ok. We've got another 7 months to figure it all out. I am going to have Paris teach me some of her OBGYN magic stuff, so I can help you out more, and we are going to get through this."

"Ok." Rory smiled as everyone walked back into the kitchen carrying a few boxes and several bags.

"What is all of this?" Logan asked, letting go of Rory. "This does not look like just dinner."

"It's not." Lorelai laughed. "Luke was grabbing stuff from the Inn to bring up to make you dinner, and when Sookie caught him and asked what he was doing, she took us to her storage closet and gave us these boxes."

"What are they?" Rory asked.

"A nice housewarming gift from the Belleville family. Sookie went out and bought you all of the cooking supplies that you could possibly need."

"No way!" Logan said excitedly as Honor began setting things on the counter.

"Sookie knows that I don't cook and have zero need for any of this, so she has been collecting it for you since college." Lorelai explained.

"Mom, are you serious?!" Rory asked.

"Sookie has been waiting for you to get married, and buy your first home so she could give it all to you. She knew that there was no way your apartment was big enough, and that you wouldn't even use it because you don't cook either. I guess she's always hoped that you would marry someone who could cook, so you could get some use out of all of it."

"I need to call her."

"Here, use my phone." Lorelai said pulling her phone out, and hitting the speed dial button for Sookie.

"Hey Lorelai, did you make it to Rory's ok?" Sookie's voice came through the line?"

"Hey Sookie, it's Rory. Thank you so much for the amazing gift! I can't even believe you did this for us!"

"Oh Sweetie, you are so welcome! I've been putting everything together for you for years. Every time something new came out, and I went to get myself one, I got one for you too. I am so glad you are finally married, and in a house so I could get it all out of my storage closet."

"I love you Sookie! Thank you so much! I can't wait for you to come up and see the house!"

"Thank you Sookie!" Logan called over Rory's shoulder.

"You guys are very welcome. I really hate to cut this short, but I just got home, and I need to get my kids fed. Send me pictures of your new house, ok?"

"I will. Thank you so much! Give the kids my love."

"Bye Sweetie!" Sookie said, then disconnected the call.

"Ok, let's see the rest of this house!" Lorelai said excitedly as Rory handed back her phone.

"Well, that is the living room over there." Rory said pointing to the room off of the kitchen. "I'm not sure if we will use Logan's living room set or mine for that room. We'll have to see how it looks. Most of the downstairs furniture is out in the garage because it was just easier to stash everything there until we figure out where to put it. If you come over here to the right, we have an office." Rory said leading her mom and Luke down a short hallway to the office. "There is another bathroom right here, and then this is the office. I like the french doors in here that open out onto the balcony. This might actually end up being Logan's office. We haven't officially decided yet."

"This built in desk is really nice. It looks very sturdy." Luke said admiring the L shaped desk that had been built into the room. You will get a lot of use out of this desk. There is plenty of storage and ton of space."

"Check this out." Rory started, walking over to the closet and opening the door. "Built in filing cabinet!"

"Wow! I have never seen anything like that! That is really cool!" Luke told them.

"Magdeleina said that her husband does a lot of work from home, so they had the office custom built to suit his needs." Logan explained. "This door behind me goes out to the second garage where we currently have a bunch of boxes and most of our furniture. And the door across the hallway goes out to the main garage, which has a door that connects the two garages."

"That is mighty convenient." Lorelai commented.

"Let's head upstairs. You are going to LOVE upstairs!" Rory said leading everybody toward the stairs.

"So is Paris excited that you're pregnant?" Lorelai asked as she climbed the stairs behind her daughter.

"It seems like it. I can tell that she's going to enjoy telling me what to do for the next 7 months."

"Oh I'm sure that she is all over that one!"

"We leave for Europe Monday afternoon, and we are flying to a new city every day except Saturday, then we come home Sunday. Paris isn't thrilled about it, and has already said that I have to see her on Monday."

"Well, I hate to say it, but I completely understand that one. Flying that much isn't safe during pregnancy. Flying occasionally is fine, but 7 flights in a week, is a lot! Paris is just looking out for you, and I am pretty sure that any other doctor would be just as worried, and several might demand that you cancel the trip. I know that this pregnancy wasn't planned, but you still need to take all the necessary precautions and adjust your normal life to accommodate your baby."

"It's just a lot in such a short period of time. Every time I think things are finally starting to slow down, it's like it all just warps into light speed."

"Your life is kind of insane lately."

"Right?!"

"It'll calm down as soon as we get back from Europe." Logan told them. "We just need to get through this next week."

"I hope so. Because everything I've heard about pregnancy sounds completely exhausting, and I'm not sure I can keep going like we have been, and be pregnant all at the same time."

"Well why don't you finish giving me this house tour, and then you can sit down and tell me where to put things while I unpack some boxes, and Luke will make us all some dinner."

"Let's go this way." Logan said when they got to the top of the stairs, leading Rory and her parents down the hall to the right. "Right here we have the laundry room. It is going to completely suck for whoever delivers the new washer and drier, and has to haul them all the way up the stairs."

"I like how big it is!" Lorelai told them as she looked around the room. "You have a ton of space in here. And all the cabinets are awesome."

"What do you put in all the cabinets?" Rory asked.

"Cleaning supplies, laundry stuff, craft stuff if you want. This looks like it would be a great crafting room. There is a ton of light and lots of space. You can get hanging racks to hang your clothes on as soon as you pull them out of the drier. You will probably have empty cabinets for a while, but you will figure it out. They can store baby supplies and extra linens. You'll need a ton with a baby in the house. Rory, did you know that there is a built in ironing board?"

"That's awesome!"

"I might need to move in here. This would definitely be my crafting room!"

"Let's head to the next room." Logan told them. "This is Rory's favorite room in the entire house. We pretty much bought the house, just for this room. We might even make it Rory's office."

"Welcome to our Library!" Rory said as they all walked into the room full of floor to ceiling book shelves.

"I'm pretty sure Rory's books can fill every single one of these shelves. Hey Luke, maybe we can finally get the rest of Rory's library out of our house!" Lorelai told him.

"April would love this library!" Luke commented. "This is spectacular! You could move a desk in here, and have the perfect Rory haven."

"I agree!" Logan told them. "This room just screams Rory. We'll get some super comfortable over sized chairs, and a nice desk, and it'll be Rory's sanctuary."

"Deal!" Rory told him.

"Ok, onward down the hall. We have a bathroom right here. Not anything fancy, just a regular bathroom. Now, if you follow me down this way, we have bedrooms. There are 3 up here, and 3 more downstairs in the basement that we figured we would kind of use as almost a guest apartment, so that is where you guys will be staying unless you want to set up one of the bedrooms up here. These rooms are pretty much identical. Large room with a walk in closet, and they share a Jack and Jill bathroom."

"Looks like you've got a nursery and playroom." Lorelai said as she walked through the first bedroom

"Sounds like a good idea to me!" Rory agreed. "We obviously haven't even thought about any of that at all, so all that will be happening in the next several months. The cool thing about the Jack and Jill bathrooms, is that the tubs are jetted. All of the tubs in this house are oversized, and jetted."

"It's like going to a spa! Luke, I want a jetted tub!"

"You guys should get one. It'll be so nice after a stressful day at work. It'll be like going to the spa."

"So the last room on this floor is the Master Suite." Logan told them, leading everybody out of the bedrooms, and to the double doors at the end of the hallway. This room is pretty awesome! We definitely need more furniture, but it will be amazing when it's done!"

"Mom is going to flip over the closet!" Rory said as they opened the doors.

"Not unless it's like Honor's closet, because I want to live in there!" Lorelai laughed.

"Just wait until you see it. I obviously don't have Honor's wardrobe, but it's pretty awesome! This is the sitting area. I was thinking of doing something like Grandma's sitting room. We'll see how that goes. I like the bay window in here. It's really pretty to look at."

"I like the fireplace." Luke told them, noticing the glass fireplace right inside the door.

"And it's remote controlled!" Logan said reaching for the remote that had been sitting on a dresser. "Obviously nothing in this room is in its final place. We just moved stuff in here last night so we could finally go to bed."

"Is this the new bed I've been hearing about?" Lorelai asked, admiring the king size 4 poster bed in the middle of the room.

"It is. I love it! It's 4 feet off the ground, but it's super comfortable! We got a nice memory foam mattress, so you just sink into it. It's amazing!" Rory told her. "There are a few more pieces to the matching bedroom set, but they haven't been moved upstairs yet. The set was just delivered yesterday.

"These doors right here open out onto the back balcony. We have a great view overlooking the yard. It's not much to look at right now, but it is beautiful during the day." Logan told them.

"Right this way, we have the bathroom and a gigantic closet. This closet is like the size of an entire bedroom." Rory said leading Lorelai into her new walk in closet.

"Oh holy crap! This is just like Honor's closet! You even have the storage island!" Lorelai gushed.

"I literally don't even know what to do with all of it. I do like the shoe racks though. I'll be nice to not have to dig for my shoes in a pile, or rummage through boxes on a shelf."

"I could totally live in here! It's literally like a display room at Bloomingdales. You have racks, shelves and drawers galore! This is definitely my favorite room in your house."

"It is pretty awesome! I was thinking of maybe getting one of those three way full length mirrors installed somewhere. That way you can see yourself from all angles."

"I love that idea!" Lorelai agreed.

"Alright, come check out this bathroom." Logan told them. "My favorite part of this bathroom is the shower. You come through this door, and turn left. This kind of seems like a hallway, but this is actually the shower. There are jets in the walls after you turn this corner, and the ceiling rains. There is one overhead shower head in the ceiling where most of the water comes from, but there are several other rain jets all over the ceiling in here. It's pretty awesome! And there is a remote control to change the lighting in case you want it bright or dim."

"This shower is incredible!" Luke told them. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. Look at these benches! Everything is stone. It kind of looks like a garden shower."

"Exactly! I was thinking the same thing. And it's crazy how big it is! There is a shower access panel back by the entrance where you can control which jets to turn on, and the lighting, or you can use the remote. It's insane how high tech and fancy it is."

"This is insane!" Lorelai told them! I might have to try this shower out while you guys are gone."

"I am really excited to use the shower tonight. I haven't had a chance to use it yet. It's on my list today." Rory told them. "I just need to find all my shower stuff, and the towels."

"We'll find them. You and I will get this room unpacked tonight. We need to get you packed for your trip anyway."

"Mom, come check this out. The vanity in the bathroom is super cool!" Rory said leading everyone into the main bathroom. "In here we have a giant roman style spa bathtub. I'm pretty sure it can fit all four of us in it, with room to spare."

"Nice!" Lorelai commented.

"Then over here, look at this vanity. You will notice that there aren't any plugs. And that is because all of the plugs are in the drawers. Everything that needs to be plugged in goes in a drawer. Magdeleina said that they are heat proof, so you can set a hot curling iron down in them, and it won't heat them up and start a fire. They are lined in silicone from top to bottom."

"I love this! Luke, can you build me something like this?"

"I can probably try." Luke told her as they looked at the different drawers and cabinets in the bathroom.

"So that is it for the second floor." Logan told them. "Would you like to see the basement now?"

"This house is incredible!" Lorelai told them. "You have plenty of room for visitors."

"We were actually thinking that maybe you guys could come up for Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa. April is welcome to come too. We can even invite Dad and Gigi. And if we ever run out of space for guests, Honor and Josh are right across the street, and we can always take over their house if we need to." Rory explained.

"Huntzbergers at one house, Gilmores at the other." Lorelai agreed.

"Exactly! We can have one big family Christmas, and everyone would have their own space."

"Careful going down the stairs." Logan cautioned, leading everyone back out of the master suite, and to the stairs, taking Rory's hand to help her descend.

"I wonder if there is a way to put in another set of stairs somewhere that could take you from upstairs directly to the basement?" Lorelai said as they all walked down the stairs on their way to go check out the lower level of the house.

"That is actually not a bad idea at all. Maybe I'll see about doing just that after things calm down a little bit." Logan told them. "Or maybe we could put in an elevator. It might be easier with Rory being pregnant. That way she won't have to climb the stairs."

"We need an intercom system. I don't want to have to yell through the house."

"That's what baby monitors are for." Lorelai told her. "You get those monitors that you can talk through. You can even get the video monitors so you can see each other."

"That might be a better idea." Rory agreed.

"You can put one in every room and have them all linked together."

"Welcome to the basement!" Logan said as they stepped off the last stair into the large basement. "This will basically be the game room. We'll bring in my old pool table and stuff. Maybe get a couple old skool arcade games. Over here to the right we have the wet bar. It's not stocked yet, but we will eventually have snacks and drinks down here. Over here by the windows, we have an in ground jacuzzi. The french doors open out, so if we are ever feeling brave in the middle of the winter, and want to soak in the spa while it's snowing, we can open the doors and get the outdoor jacuzzi effect."

"This is pretty cool with the wall of windows over here. It's almost like having a sun room." Lorelai told them.

"Off to this side we have another set of bedroom with a Jack and Jill bathroom. They are identical to the rooms upstairs. This room over here, was basically built as weight room. It has a rubber floor, so maybe we'll get a home gym to put in here." Logan said leading everybody into the room. There is a big walk in closet in here, which I don't exactly know what you would need that for, but whatever floats your boat. Next door we have a walk in closet with tons of storage, and then next to that we have cold storage. We obviously have a ton of extra space that we don't really have a need for, but it's there regardless."

"If you come over to this side of the basement." Rory started as she led her parents across to the other end of the basement. "This is the secondary master bedroom, aka, your room! I haven't seen it at all since Magdeleina showed us around, but Honor has been working on it since we got home from the hospital."

"Knowing Honor, it looks like a resort in there." Logan said as Rory reached for the handle on the double doors.

"Honor? Are you in there? We are coming in!" Rory said as she opened the doors. "Oh wow! It's beautiful!"

"Welcome to your home away from home!" Honor smiled as Lorelai and Luke stepped through the doors into the room.

"Wow! Honor, this looks amazing!" Lorelai gushed. "I've never seen any of this furniture before, where, so I know that it didn't come from Rory's apartment. Where did you find all of this?"

"It was actually in my storage area across the street. I have a ton of stuff that I bought because I loved it, but didn't have any use for it, so it's been sitting in storage while I figure out what to do with it. Rory and Logan need furniture, so I had Josh and his brother bring this stuff over this afternoon. I figure anything I have sitting around that fits in this house is fair game."

"I love this bench! This is gorgeous!" Lorelai said admiring the bench at the foot of the large bed.

"And this bed set is so pretty! I love the purple design. This is perfect!"

"I saw it in my stash and it screamed Lorelai. I have a second one if you want to take it home."

"I might just take you up on that. Wow! This room is beautiful!"

"Honor, this is incredible! Thank you so much!" Rory told her.

"It was my pleasure! I love doing this kind of stuff. It's so fun for me! I've got the bathroom all set up with towels, and all kinds of shower stuff. Anything you can imagine is in there. I have so much stuff, it's ridiculous!"

"It's like going to a fancy resort!" Lorelai said as she walked into the large bathroom. "Wow! I might have to hire you to help me redecorate the Inn. This is just amazing!"

"I am so glad you like it! Seriously, please come shopping in my storage area tomorrow. Or even tonight. Whenever you want to. You guys are welcome to whatever you want. There is a ton of stuff in there that I've either bought and not had room for, used briefly, or that mom bought and had delivered but I haven't had a use for. I have at least enough to furnish an entire home, and it is all just sitting there."

"Party at your house!"

"We will definitely come look." Rory told her.

"And she even has another room in her basement with all of my stuff from my Yale apartment." Logan told them.

"Is Henry in there?" Rory asked.

"Logan has had Henry since he was in high school." Honor laughed. "Henry is just part of the family at this point."

"Game room!" Rory said looking directly at Logan. "Henry stays downstairs."

"Who is Henry?" Lorelai asked.

"Logan's suit of armour. You saw it the day you visited the Yale apartment we shared."

"Seriously?! You named it?!" Lorelai asked, turning to look at Logan.

"Henry and I have been together for a very long time. I am excited that he'll finally have a home again." Logan told her.

"Boys and their strange obsessions!"

"We should go back upstairs and get dinner started." Luke told them.

"What are you making?" Rory asked.

"Steak! Honor, you and Josh are staying for dinner, right?"

"Sure, we would love to!" Honor agreed.

"Ladies, why don't you go do whatever it is that you are going to do, and I will help Luke make dinner." Logan suggested.

"That's ok Logan. You worked all day. You can go relax or unpack, or whatever it is that you want to do. I'll let you all know when dinner is ready." Luke told him.


	28. Chapter 28

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

As far as the house not fitting into the area goes, reality has no place in my little world. LOL I've also never been to New York.

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

How did everyone like The Resident tonight? I loved it!

* * *

"Good Morning everyone!" Logan said, starting the staff meeting at the London HPG office. "Thank you all for being here this morning. I recognize a lot of you from when I worked in this office right after graduating from college. Phillip, Bobbie, Nick, it is so great to see you again! Steven, Gloria, I see both of you as well. Monty! How are you man?! I am so glad you are all still with us. For those of you who are newer to the company, welcome! I am Logan Huntzberger, and as everyone who worked with me in the past can tell you, I used to run this office. Steven was my secretary. Nick, Phillip and Bobbie were my A-Team. We had a great time together. I've been where each of you newer people are now. I was raised in this company, and from the time I graduated from high school, my father forced me to be a part of HPG; attend the meetings, do the work, run the errands. I have been in your shoes, but I can assure you that there is plenty of room to grow if you just stick with it, and do your job well. My old team can definitely tell you that where they are now, is not at all where they were ten years ago when I was here. They've all done a great job, and they've grown in their careers, as have I. After I left HPG, I worked for a technology start up out in California, before deciding that I wanted to completely change gears. 8 years ago, I gave everything up, and I went to medical school. I lived with my sister in New York and went to school at Columbia University where I studied to become a doctor. I have a PhD in Immunology and Genetics, and an MD in Internal Medicine. I went from being one of you to having a medical career as an Emergency Room Doctor at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan New York. But why would I do that?! Why in the world would I give up what my father refers to as the 'Dynastic Plan'. I was raised to run this company. My Grandfather founded this company over 50 years ago, and my Father has been running things for the last 25 years. His entire plan in life was to turn the company over to me when he someday retires. But silly me, I took off. 8 years ago, I completely bailed on my per-ordained life, and I went to medical school. I am sure that many of you heard about that. Crazy Logan, turned his back on the family. Crazy Logan doesn't want to be a part of HPG. Crazy Logan gave up everything that he has ever known, and fought tooth and nail to build a life for himself. A life away from the family business. A life that I am proud of. A life that I enjoy. A life where I help people every single day. A life that makes me happy. Now I know many of you are asking what the hell all of this has to do with anything? Why if I completely bailed on the family business am I here with you today? Well, I'll tell you right now why I am here. I am here because HPG is going through quite a few changes lately. Most importantly, we have a new CEO. As a lot you probably heard, my father had a heart attack about a month ago. He came into my hospital with another patient, after an event that he was attending in the city, and while he was there waiting on test results for the other patient, my dad began showing symptoms of a myocardial infarction. I immediately responded and started running tests, and that night, my dad went into emergency surgery. Because I am his doctor, I have taken full control over my father's life for the time being. My father is doing great in his recovery, however, he will be out of commission for several months. He is currently in a rehabilitation facility out in California where he is learning how to lead a much healthier life. At this time there is no set date for my father to leave the treatment center, and he most definitely will not be returning to HPG until he is fully recovered, and his care team is fully confidant in their decision to release him from treatment, and comfortable with him returning to work, without it being a threat to his health. So, with all of that being said, my sister and I had to decide what to do with HPG now that Dad is out of the picture. HPG needs a CEO. It needs someone to guide everyone, and continue to monitor the work you are all doing. It needs someone who can step into my father's shoes, and run meetings, understand the financials, acquire new papers, monitor each department, understand the politics that are happening throughout the world, and direct our staff on which stories we need to be following. We needed someone with experience in the newspaper industry. We needed someone who understands how things work. We need someone with leadership experience, and the guts to do what it takes to get the story, and get the work done. We need someone who can lead us forward, and help better this company. A lot of you are wondering, why didn't I step into my father's position? Well, I'll give you an honest answer. I don't want it! I love my life. I love my career. I have everything I could possibly want back in Manhattan. And none of that includes being a part of this company. However, I am not completely heartless. This company has been in my family for several decades, and it is very important to all of us. My family has poured its blood, sweat and tears into HPG. I might not want to work here, but I can't just completely turn my back and watch everything fall apart, and many of you lose your jobs. So I did what any other person in my position would do. I found someone to step up. I found someone who my sister and I trust more than anything in this world. Someone who we feel is more than qualified to take over for our father. Someone with newspaper experience. Someone who knows politics better than anyone else because she worked on a presidential campaign. I found my wife, Rory." Logan smiled as he reached for Rory's hand. "My beautiful, incredibly intelligent wife. She comes to HPG having worked as a writer and assistant editor at the New York Times for the last several years. She has also worked as a freelance writer, traveling around the world, writing stories wherever she was sent. In college Rory was the senior Editor of the Yale Daily News, then worked as a reporter on the campaign train with President Barack Obama after graduating. Rory also interned for my Dad while she was in college, shadowing him when he acquired the Stamford Eagle Gazette. Rory knows this business. She knows it better than both my sister and I do. Rory was born to be the CEO of the Huntzberger Publishing Group. And unlike me, Rory actually enjoys being here. Working for HPG was something that I was forced into. Something that I tolerated because I wasn't given any other options. But it was never something that I chose for myself, or something that I actually wanted to do. Unlike my father, and several other family members, I don't believe that anyone should be forced into doing anything that they don't want to do. I believe that your career should be something that is an extension of who you are. Something that makes you happy. Something that you are proud of at the end of the day. I didn't have any of that while I was working here. I did as I was told, but I didn't enjoy it. So I got out. And I would recommend doing the exact same thing to any of you who aren't happy with your job, with the life that you have right now. If any of you can relate at all to what I've been through. I would tell you that maybe you should think about reevaluating things. You might be good at what you do, just like I was. Anyone who worked here with me 8 years ago, knows that I was damn good at my job. But I wasn't happy. I don't want to run this company. So I found someone who does. Someone who I know will do an incredible job! Someone who I can't possibly talk bad about. So I ask all of you, I know that things are different, and may be a little tough to handle right now. But please, give us a chance to work through it. My sister Honor and I are doing our absolute best to get Rory acclimated to her new role, and to help her learn how everything runs here at HPG. It is going to take a little bit of time, but I can assure you that Rory can do this, and that she is who will lead us forward in this ever changing industry. Rory will lead by example. She will be writing and editing articles right there with you. Rory has been working on a newspaper staff since high school, and she is very knowledgeable and easy to get along with. You can come to her with any questions, suggestions, or problems that you might have, and she will do her best to help you, as will Honor and I. We will all be working together throughout this transition, and we want all of you to feel comfortable coming to us, should you need anything. Right now I have my schedule worked out so that I can be here to help Rory and all of you through this transition while still keeping up with my medical career. For the time being, I will be in the office 3 days a week; Monday through Wednesday, then in the hospital Thursday through Saturday. I will be doing my best to stay up to date with everything that is going on, so if anyone needs me, I sent out my contact information a few weeks ago. You can all reach me by contacting Rory. Does anybody have questions? . . . Rory, would you like to say anything?"

"I am on the verge of throwing up." Rory whispered into Logan's ear.

"Bobbie? I am so sorry, but would you mind doing me a favor?" Logan asked, moving his fingers to gesture Bobbie in his direction. "Would you please show Rory where the restroom is?" Logan whispered.

"Sure, no problem." Bobbie told him.

"Honor . . ." Logan said, gesturing for her to follow Bobbie and Rory.

"Alright, let's go through each department and figure out where we need to focus our efforts moving forward. How about we start with advertising. Where do we stand financially? Are we at budget? Do we need more? What is going on?" Logan asked.

Ten minutes later Logan's phone beeped to life, and he pulled it out of his pocket to see a message from Honor.

Honor to Logan:

_Rory is really sick._

_She keeps throwing up and is really weak._

Logan to Honor:

_I'll be right there_

"I am so sorry, but I need to pause right here before moving on to the next department. Let's take a 10 minute break, then meet right back here." Logan said before getting up and leaving the room.

"Is everything alright?" Bobbie asked as he passed by her.

"It will be. What restroom did you take the girls to?"

"Down the hall to the right."

"Thank you. Would you mind calling a car for Rory and Honor? We need to get Rory back to the hotel."

"No problem. Is she ok? She looked pretty pale."

"Please keep this just between you and I. Rory is pregnant and the morning sickness seems to have finally kicked in."

"I will take her myself. I've been there."

"Thanks Bobbie. I appreciate it."

"I'll meet you at the loo in a moment. Just let me grab my things." Bobbie said then hurried away to her office.

"Rory?" Logan said knocking on the bathroom door before turning the handle to open it.

"Come on in." Honor told him as Rory crouched next to the toilet, having just thrown up again.

"Ace, I am so sorry! Honor, where is Rory's purse?"

"Right over there on the counter." Honor said pointing across the bathroom as she held Rory's hair out of her face.

"Ace, I am getting you some dissolvable zofran." Logan said digging in Rory's purse for the nausea medication he had put there when they packed for their trip. "Here you go. This goes under your tongue, and will help you stop throwing up. Bobbie is going to drive you and Honor back to the hotel, and I will meet you there as soon as I am done with this meeting, ok?" Rory slowly nodded her head as Logan dropped the small pill in her mouth. "I am going to call Paris to let her know what is going on. I need you to try to hydrate when you get back to the hotel. I will be there as soon as I possibly can. And if you still aren't able to at least keep water down, then we will be going to the hospital for iv fluids, ok? Honor, in Rory's purse is a medicine bottle that says Diclegis. In an hour, I want you to give Rory one. It will probably make her tired, but it will help with the nausea. She needs to rest and hydrate."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Honor told him.

"Thank you. Ace, do you think you can walk out of here?"

"This is so embarrassing."

"It's fine. I'll just tell everyone that you ate something that didn't agree with you. I told Bobbie what is going on because I needed her to call you a car, but no one else needs to know. Everything is going to be ok. Just go back to the hotel, and lay down in bed. I'll be there as soon as I can." Logan said helping Rory up, and holding her arm as she slowly moved to the sink.

"I look like hell."

"No you don't. You just look really pale. You should rinse your mouth out and maybe splash some water on your face."

"Let's get your hair pulled back." Honor said reaching in her purse for a brush and hair tie.

"Hey, it's Bobbie." a voice said as there was a knock on the door.

"It's open." Logan said still standing next to Rory.

"Rory, I am so sorry you aren't feeling well. Before I had my baby last year I was sick for my entire pregnancy! I totally understand what you are going through. How far along are you?"

"About 8 ½ weeks." Logan answered. "Bobbie, this is my sister, Honor."

"It's nice to meet you Honor." Bobbie smiled in Honor's direction. "I heard a lot about you when Logan worked here.

"It's nice to meet you too." Honor echoed.

"Bobbie, we are staying at the Four Seasons at Piccadilly. I just gave Rory some nausea medicine, so hopefully she will be ok until you get to the hotel. If you could just help Honor get her upstairs, that would be great."

"No problem. I'll be back here as soon as I get them settled.

"Thank you! Come on, I'll walk you guys out." Logan said escorting everyone from the bathroom, and following Bobbie to her car in the parking garage before returning to the conference room to rejoin the meeting.

"I am so sorry about the delay. Please excuse my wife, she isn't feeling well today, so I sent her back to the hotel. I'll be finishing things up on my own. Now, let's get back to where we left off. I think we will start going in alphabetical order by department, just so I don't forget anyone. Accounting and Admin you are next. We have 28 departments to get through. Does anybody need a list?" Logan asked. When several hands were raised, Logan got out of his seat and walked over to the blackboard at the front of the room to make the list.

Accounting

Administrative

Advertising

Business

Circulation

Classifieds

Community; announcements, community calendar/events, births/weddings/deaths

Economy

Editorial

Entertainment

Extras; comics, cross words, TV listings, movies, horoscopes

Features

Financial

Government

Health

IT

Local News

Marketing

Opinions

Printing and production

Publishing

Science

Society

Sports

Stories

Technology

Weather

World News

"Does anybody have anything else that I need to add to the list that needs to be discussed today? Alright, so let's get back to advertising. What are our largest accounts in this market?"

* * *

Three hours later Logan while still sitting in the meeting with the various department heads, but decided to text Honor to check on his wife.

Logan to Honor:

_How is Rory doing?_

Honor to Logan:

_She's been asleep since we got here_

_I checked on her a couple times but she hasn't woken up_

Logan to Honor:

_We are only about halfway through the meeting_

_I may stop by during lunch_

_Do you want me to pick anything up?_

Honor to Logan:

_I'm ok but thank you_

_I'll order room service if I need anything_

_How is everything going?_

Logan to Honor:

_Lots of changes since I was last here_

_Not too bad all things considered_

_Let me know when Rory wakes up_

Honor to Logan:

_Will do_

"Alright moving on, IT department. What do you have for me?" Logan asked

"We should probably think about replacing a few of the older computers. They are pretty out of date and can't handle the newer software. We've had a lot of problems with them freezing up." the head of IT spoke up.

"How many is a few?"

"Only 3 here at headquarters, but I'm sure there are several at the various newspaper offices."

"I need a list of each office and how many computers are needed, as well as an estimate of what it will cost to upgrade. What else? How are the other appliances doing? Did my dad ever replace that decades old copy machine?

"Just last year actually. It finally completely died."

"Seriously? I haven't been here for 8 years, and he JUST replaced that machine last year? You have got to be kidding me!"

"Your dad doesn't like to spend money. Neither did Elias."

"Ok, well I am going to make this super easy on all of us. Why don't you get me a list of everything that needs to be immediately replaced, and an estimate of how much it is going to costs us. I will work on getting replacements ordered. Then, I'll need a list of all of our assets and the year of manufacture. We are an international media conglomerate, and there is no reason that we should be working with antique machines."

"Your dad freaks out every time something breaks. He would rather pay to fix the machines than replace them."

"Well my dad is no longer in change. Rory is the new CEO, and we both know that you have to spend money to make money. Replacing the antique machines is a necessity. We should not have to work with any machine that is more than ten years old. We can sell anything that is still usable for whatever we can get out of it to make up for part of the cost of the replacements. We need to be able to function as a business, and having failing equipment is not an option. Local department, you are up. How are we doing getting the news around here? What are your concerns?"

"My concern is lunch? Can we order something?" the head of the local news department asked.

"You know what, I like the way you think! Let's take a break! I am going to go back to the hotel to check on my wife, but let's all meet back here in two hours. Does that work for everyone? Awesome! I'll see you all in a couple hours!" Logan said seeing everyone's head nodding.

"Logan, do you need a ride?" Bobbie asked, approaching her old friend.

"That would be great, thank you."

"Have you gotten any updates on Rory?"

"Honor said she's been asleep since they got back. I don't know anything else. I need to call her doctor now that it is a decent hour in New York." Logan said once again following Bobbie through the office to her car.

* * *

"Hey Ace, how are you feeling?" Logan asked sitting down on the bed next to Rory.

"A little bit better. Still nauseous, but nothing like before. The medicine you gave me seems to be helping."

"Have you eaten?"

"Not yet."

"Why don't we go get you some soup, and then if you want to you can come back to the office with me, or you can stay here and rest for the rest of the day."

"How has the meeting been going?"

"It's been good. I decided to go in alphabetical order by department, talking to each one about what is going on and what their needs are. So far the biggest issue is the IT department and my dad not wanting to spend money to replace the antique machines. Until he finally replaced it last year, there was a copy machine in this office that was about 30 years old. My dad has just been too cheap to replace it."

"Are you serious?!"

"My dad is insanely cheap when it comes to this stuff! IT is sending us a list of everything that needs to be replaced right away. I also asked for a list of assets with manufacture dates. I don't see any reason why we should have to work with anything that is more than 10 years old."

"The New York Times replaces their machines every five years or less."

"And that should be the standard everywhere! Right now I want to focus on the immediate needs. We will eventually replace everything, but I want to prioritize it. There are other areas that we need to focus on, so we'll replace the absolute necessities, then slowly replace everything older than 5 years old. We'll need to keep a master list of all of the assets, adding on the replacements as we get them, that way we know when it gets to be time to get new equipment."

"I like that idea a lot. How far have you gotten down the department list?"

"We've gotten through 16 of the 28 departments. Local News is next. I had just gotten to them, and asked what concerns they have, and the answer was lunch."

"I like it!"

"Me too. We need to get some food in you so you can decide what you want to do about the rest of the day."

"Do you mind if I try going back to the office? I really need to learn this stuff. I know that I need to rest, but sitting in meetings is resting. It's not like I'm on my feet running around."

"Having you with me would be great. There is a cafe down the street. Why don't we head down there to get some soup, and we'll take it back to the office with us. You can sit there and eat slowly while we work. I'll call a car to meet us at the cafe."

"Ok. I just need to change my clothes."

"You go do that, and I'll call in our order. What do you feel like eating?"

"See if they have any tomato bisque soup. I know that it won't taste anything like Sookie's, but hopefully it won't be horrible either. Get me sandwich and some crackers too."

"I can do that. I'm going to go see what Honor wants."

"Why don't you have the car pick us up here, and we can just stop by the cafe on the way to the office. I don't really want to walk anywhere if I don't have to."

"I'll do that. Go get yourself ready." Logan said giving her a gentle kiss, then leaving the room to go find his sister.

* * *

45 Minutes later

Huntzberger Publishing Group

London Office

"This soup is really good." Rory commented as she sat eating. "It is definitely what I needed."

"Hey Rory! How are you feeling?" Bobbie asked, walking back into the room

"Better, thank you so much for your help earlier Bobbie."

"I am so glad. Here, I got you a little something." Bobbie said handing Rory a gift bag. "I know you aren't telling anybody yet, but who knows when we will see each other again, and from one mum to another, I thought you might like some supplies."

"Bobbie, you didn't have to do that." Rory said as she reached into the bag and pulled a green baby onesie, with matching baby converse shoes, and a bunch of snacks. "Wow, thank you so much! You are so sweet! Logan, look how cute!" Rory said handing him the shoes and onesie.

"Wow, Bobbie, thank you so much!" Logan said looking at the tiny shoes. "This is officially our first baby gift. Thank you! I love these little shoes."

"You are very welcome. My baby is 8 months old now, and I just love the little boutique down the block. It has the most lovely things in it! I go there all the time on my lunch break, just to see if anything new has come in."

"I'm sure we will be doing that pretty soon." Honor laughed as Logan handed her the baby stuff.

"All of these snacks are things that I craved while pregnant. I'm sure you won't have the same cravings, but these were are all of my favorites."

"Thank you so much! I will definitely be ripping into some of this today." Rory said as she started putting things back in the bag. "Thank you Bobbie! This was so sweet!"

"You are very welcome! I need to run back to my office before the meeting, so I'll let you get back to your lunch, and see you all in just a few more minutes.

"Unfair, she beat me to baby's first present!" Honor said once Bobbie was gone.

"Hey Ace, how do you feel about Bobbie now that you are in charge of this place? You still hate that she isn't a big surly dude?" Logan asked.

"Hey, no picking on the hormonal wife!" Rory told him.

"Explain?" Honor asked.

"The first time Rory met Bobbie she was shocked to see that Bobbie is female because judging by the name, she thought Bobbie was a guy. She was a little jealous." Logan explained.

"Babe! Her legs come up to my nose! She doesn't even look like she was ever pregnant, much less like she has an 8 month old baby. Bobbie is basically a barbie doll."

"I can definitely agree with you on that one." Honor told her. "I wish I looked like her!"

"Right?! I wish I could be so lucky."

"Hey now! You two need to stop. You are both beautiful. Honor, I can't really comment on because she's my sister and that's just creepy. But you . . . I would choose you over a million Bobbies, every day of the week." Logan said kissing Rory's forehead.

"Yeah, you lie!" Rory told him

"I do not! Come on, which one of us self-medicated with Alcohol and refused to date anyone for the last 8 years."

"Logan, everyone in this room knows that you're pathetic. No need to remind us!" Honor laughed.

"Is this how it's going to be from now on? The two of you, ganging up against me?" Logan asked.

"I don't know, maybe." Rory answered.

"Whatever! Hush up and eat your soup so we can start this meeting."

"Hey Logan, here is the list of the three computers that need to be replaced in this office, and the cost estimates for the new ones." the head of the IT department said, walking into the room and handing Logan some paperwork.

"Thank you, that was quick! I'm so sorry, I didn't catch your name earlier."

"My name is David. I already had the paperwork ready. I've been trying to get your dad to replace the old computers for months."

"Somehow I'm not surprised that he hasn't done anything about it. I will look this over and get back to you by the end of the week. This estimate, does it include where you want to purchase the new equipment?" Logan asked as he flipped through the pages in front of him.

"It's a print out from the computer company that we are contracted with. Their contact information is right there. I was told that they just need your approval and they will get us replacements within a couple of days and bill our account for everything we need."

"Is this the cost per computer?"

"The cost at the top is. The bottom portion is the total cost for the three units with the service contract discount that they give us for having an account."

"Rory, are you ok with this cost for 3 computers?" Logan asked showing her the paperwork he had been given.

"Didn't my computer cost more than that?"

"I'm not sure, I didn't buy your computer, but probably."

"You're the one who knows about computers. I honestly don't know anything about it."

"This looks like a really good deal to me. Will you sign off on it?"

"Sure! I don't see a problem with it. I trust your judgment."

"David, go ahead and give them a call. Have them deliver the new computers and get everything hooked up as soon as possible. Have the bill delivered to accounting, and we'll make sure they get a check right away." Logan told him.

"Wow, that's it?!" David asked in a surprised voice.

"That's it!"

"There's no catch?"

"Why would there be a catch? I'm not my father. I don't play stupid games like that. You need computers, you did all the research and brought me all the information I needed. It looks like a great deal, so we are signing off. Go ahead and order what you need."

"Alright, thank you!"

"You're welcome! Take your time getting everything ordered. You can rejoin the meeting whenever you're finished. Can I keep this paperwork?" Logan asked.

"Yes, of course. Thank you both!"

"No problem! It's our pleasure!" Rory told him.

"I think you just made that guy's year!" Honor said as David left the room.

"Dad has been refusing to replace stuff in this office for years. The copy machine that he finally replaced last year was about 30 years old!" Logan told her.

"You're kidding, right?!"

"I wish! That thing was a dinosaur! Everyone avoided using it when I worked here. We would go use the machine on another floor, just so we could avoid dealing with that thing."

"Maybe you should have just sabotaged the thing to make Dad replace it."

"I did. Grandpa had it fixed."

"Are you serious!?"

"I wish I could tell you that I'm joking. Rory and I are going to start replacing everything around here. The Times doesn't have any equipment that is more than 5 years old, and it should really be an industry standard. It takes money to make money, and Dad and Grandpa never understood that. We shouldn't have to wait for something to completely crap out before replacing it. We'll replace the things we need right away, first, then slowly work on replacing everything else. We can sell the equipment that still works for whatever we can get for it, and put the money toward the cost of the replacements."

"I know you have no interest in taking over this company, but that little speech right there, is exactly why you should have pushed dad out a long time ago!"

"I agree!" Rory told them. "This is why I let Logan run things, while I just sit here being the pretty face that he pretends is in charge."


	29. Chapter 29

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

I hope this update finds everybody healthy and happy. We are currently safe from COVID-19. We are currently self quarantined in our home. The schools will be closing here next week, which means that I will be home all day with two autistic kids, until further notice. We are currently snuggled in bed watching Frozen II now that it has released early on Disney Plus. If anyone has kids and needs help with finding some educational materials to keep them learning while the schools are closed, there is a list on facebook of all the companies providing free learning memberships for their apps and programs, including ABC Mouse. If anyone needs a copy of that list, feel free to let me know and I can get it to you. If any of you are sick, I wish you a speedy recovery, and I urge you all to reach out to your local resources for any help that you may need. Many school districts, and local businesses are providing free lunches to students in need, no questions asked. Just hang in there, and keep up with the the great hygiene and obsessively washing your hands. And most importantly, have a plan for your family. We are a family of asthmatics, and have a plan in place just in case one of us starts getting sick. We are doing our best to stay healthy, I hope that you are all doing the same. Have a great weekend, and I'll update as much as I can to help keep you all entertained.

Fanfiction seems to me messing up the formatting, so I apologize for that. I am trying to figure out a solution

* * *

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Scene 1~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Rory, how are you feeling?" Paris asked, walking into her office to see her friends waiting.

"Eh, I've been better. This morning sickness thing blows!"

"You've just gotta fake it til you make it!"

"Yeah, not gonna happen! Say that to me again and next time I have to puke, it'll be in your shoes."

"Logan, did you get that fetal monitor?"

"I did. We've been checking on my baby a couple times a day."

"What heart rate have you been seeing?"

"Right around 160."

"Excellent. We'll do an internal ultrasound today to make sure everything is ok. It's uncomfortable, but gives us better information. Did you already stop by the lab for your blood draw?"

"Yes I did. Have I told you that I hate needles?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, well, get used to it! Pregnancy is one stab after another."

"Something to look forward to."

"How is your appetite? Have you been eating?"

"I do my best."

"She is eating less than usual, but it's basically a normal person meal rather than a Gilmore meal." Logan explained.

"What about drinking? Are you staying hydrated?"

"Are you going to check my urine like Logan does?" Rory asked.

"Seriously Huntzberger? Somehow I'm not surprised, but you really do that?" Paris asked.

"I'm a doctor, that is my baby in Rory's stomach, and she's been throwing up. Yeah, I'm going to check the color to make sure she's staying hydrated."

"Will you please tell Logan that coffee has water in it?"

"Yeah, not gonna happen!" Paris told her. "I already told you that you need to cut back. You can have two cups a day. And NOT Gilmore strength."

"You know just how to make me hate you, don't you?!"

"She's drinking a couple liters of Smart Water every day, and I'm giving her juice too." Logan commented.

"Not the junk kind with all the sugar, right?"

"Paris, I have a PhD in Immunology and Genetics. Do I look like an idiot to you? Rory has two doctors all over her 24/7. I think she talks to you just as much as she talks to me, and I spend 4 days a week, and every night with her. I think Rory has better prenatal care than half of the state."

"You two realize how annoying you are, right?" Rory asked, rolling her eyes at all the bantering

"Get used to it Gilmore!" Paris told her.

"Excuse me, she's not a Gilmore anymore, remember? She hasn't been a Gilmore for weeks!"

"Rory might technically be a Huntzberger now, but she'll always be Rory Gilmore to me. How has Rory been sleeping? Is she resting enough?"

"She's been taking a couple naps a day, and slept on all of the flights."

"Good. That's good. How excited is Lorelai to finally be getting a grand baby?"

"She's like a kid in a candy store." Logan told her. "She keeps calling and texting about all this stuff that she wants to buy."

"I ordered gender testing with your blood work, by the way." Paris told them.

"Oh! Cool, so you'll call us as soon as you get the results?" Rory asked.

"Wrong! Your mom and I are planning a gender revel. Only I will know until the big reveal."

"You're mean!"

"I am, but I'm the doctor, and your best friend. I'm actually doing you a favor, you just don't know it yet."

"So when is this gender reveal?" Logan asked.

"I actually told Lorelai that I would talk to you about that. We didn't know when you were planning to tell anyone about the pregnancy, but if you wanted to go against my recommendation and do it early, your whole family will be together for Thanksgiving on Thursday. I could arrange to have everything ready by then. Or, we can wait a few more weeks until you hit 12 weeks."

"Paris, we haven't even told my grandparents, or Logan's parents. Logan's dad is at a rehab center in California."

"When is he coming home?"

"Honor is going to get him on Wednesday, and he'll go back to rehab on Sunday. Mom and Dad are going to Thanksgiving at Josh's parents' house this year."

"Were you planning to tell your parents about the baby while they are in town?"

"I don't know. We honestly haven't talked about it at all."

"My mom was saying that if we waited until Christmas to tell the family, we wouldn't have to buy anyone gifts."

"Interesting thought."

"My Dad and Gigi aren't coming to visit until Christmas, and leaving them out of a gender reveal isn't right."

"What if we did something over the weekend before Mitchum leaves? You could throw a house warming party. Invite your grandparents, dad and sisters to come visit, and we could surprise them with the baby news and the gender all at once."

"Logan is working this weekend."

"Well think about it and let either me or your mom know what you decide to do because we want to throw you a gender reveal, and I am in possession of the results."

"So in other words, you are blackmailing us."

"Maybe a little bit."

"The house isn't even ready for company Paris. We don't even have all of our furniture yet."

"What about doing something in the Hollow? Get Logan's parents a room at the Dragonfly for the weekend. We could have a party there. Or maybe at your grandparents house. We can call it a 'wedding party' since no one has gotten to celebrate yet."

"Geez you're pushy! We'll talk about it, ok? Can we please just finish up here? We have stuff to do today, and all of the arguing you two are doing is giving me a headache."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Scene 2~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

* * *

"Hey Babe? Maybe we should tell everyone over thanksgiving." Rory suddenly blurted out as they sat in the HPG office answering emails later that morning.

"I thought you wanted to wait."

"I did. But I've been thinking about it, and with how sick I've been, we are going to be with my family for 2 days. Trying to pretend that I'm ok, and hiding the vomiting is going to be tough."

"That's a good point."

"I know that we don't have all of our furniture yet, and I know that you have to work this weekend, but maybe Paris is right. Maybe we should get everyone together. We can probably go shopping in Grandma's basement while we are there on Wednesday, and then arrange movers to bring the stuff up to us on Saturday. Mom is going to drive back with us Thursday night, and then Friday we are going Black Friday shopping while you are working. I'm sure that Mom can help us convince Dad and my grandparents to come visit when we get the movers to bring everything up from their house. So I was thinking that if we can arrange everything for Saturday, then maybe we can borrow Honor's house for a family party?"

"It sounds like you've got everything planned out in your head."

"I just think that it might be a good time. We can tell Grandma and Grandpa Wednesday, and your parents when we see them. Then we can get both families together and do the gender revel so Paris stops blackmailing us."

"What about Lane? I know you'll want to tell her too."

"We can invite Lane Zach and the twins to come up as well. And you can invite Collin, Stephanie and Finn. We don't have beds for everyone, but I know Dad and my grandparents won't mind staying at a hotel, We have a bed that Lane and Zach can sleep in, and the twins can camp out on a couch or the floor."

"What about Sookie? I know how close you are with her."

"Do you think Honor would mind Sookie Jackson and the kids staying with her? Or maybe they won't even need to stay somewhere. We are only two hours from Stars Hollow, so Lane and Sookie can stay up here if they want to, or they can drive back home. We'll leave it up to them."

"Why don't we call your mom and run all of this by her. You shouldn't be stressing out over this stuff. Let's dump it all on your Mom, Paris and Honor."

"It sounds awful when you say it like that."

"Why don't we let your Mom, Paris and Honor go into crazy party planning mode, while we sit back and enjoy Thanksgiving."

"That sounds a lot better." Rory said reaching for her phone, and dialing Lorelai's number.

"Hey Baby Momma! What's going on?" Lorelai asked, answering the phone.

"Baby Momma? Really?!"

"You don't like it?"

"Pick a new name Grandma."

"Ouch! Point taken! So what's going on?"

"I saw Paris this morning, and she apparently ordered a gender test as part of my blood work, and then proceeded to blackmail us with the results."

"Why would she do that?"

"Because she said that the two of you are planning a gender reveal, and that only she gets to know the results until the reveal party that you are planning."

"She said that?"

"Blackmail Mom!"

"I don't know why she would blackmail you like that. She called me about maybe wanting to throw you guys a party, but we never actually decided on anything."

"Logan and I have been talking about it, and we weren't planning to share the news with anyone for several more weeks. However, because I've been so sick lately, we realize that hiding the pregnancy from the rest of the family this week is going to be pretty impossible. We were thinking that maybe we will tell Grandma and Grandpa when we go over there on Wednesday. Have you by any chance talked to grandma about going shopping in her basement for stuff for my house?"

"I have. She said that next time you are in town we can go down and see if there is anything that will work for you."

"Oh awesome! That is actually completely perfect because I was thinking that we could go over early on Wednesday, and then maybe hire movers to come on Saturday, then you convince Grandma and Grandpa to come up to see the house Saturday when the stuff is delivered."

"Sure. I can definitely try that if that is what you want to do."

"And then we were thinking that maybe we could get Dad and Gigi to come too, and even invite Lane and Sookie and their families, and maybe let you and Paris throw that reveal Party at Honor's house. Logan's Dad will be here Wednesday through Sunday, so we were thinking that maybe we can get everyone together then, if you think that you can pull it off."

"I think we can probably manage that, if that is what you want to do."

"We don't have all of our furniture yet, but I'm sure that Dad, Grandma and Grandpa won't mind staying in a hotel. We have two beds so you and Luke can have one, and Lane and Zach the other and the twins can camp out on the couch or the floor. April we can find a bed for. Honor may have an extra one that we can bring over. Sookie, Jackson and the kids can stay with Honor if they'd like. Or whoever doesn't want to stay, we are only 2 hours from Stars Hollow, so they can always go back home."

"You came up with all of this after your 8am appointment with Paris?"

"You know how my mind works. I've been trying to figure out a solution that works for everyone."

"Let me get back to you about this. I'm going to call Paris and Sookie, and see what we can do, ok?

"I was thinking of maybe calling it a house warming party, in order to get everyone there, and then tell them all the news at the same time, and having it be a surprise gender reveal."

"That might be a little challenging to get Sookie to make a baby theme cake without telling her who is pregnant, but I think I can pull it off."

"I can have Honor call her and ask for a cake for a friend's party. Maybe we can trick her with that one, and have her make a house warming cake too. You know she'll jump to make a cake in the shape of a house."

"That could work. Let me talk to Paris, and I'll get back to you in a little while, ok?"

"Thank you! I'm sorry, I'm really not trying to be difficult. It's just really hard to accommodate everyone all at once."

"No, I know Honey. I get it. I've been there. I'll give you a call back when I have things figured out. Try to relax ok? I'll take care of everything."

"Thanks Mom." Rory said then disconnected the call. "My mom is working on it. She said she would call when things are figured out."

"Perfect!" Logan commented as his phone rang. "This is Logan."

"Dr. Huntzberger, it's Doctor Greenley. I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor?"

"Sure, what's going on?"

"I know that you have Mondays off, but I was wondering if you might be able to come in to cover for me today, for a couple of hours this afternoon. My daughter has a Thanksgiving performance at school that she is insisting I be at."

"I think I can manage that. What time do you need to leave?"

"Could you come in at 1:00?"

"I'll be there."

"Thanks buddy! I owe you one!"

"It's not a problem. Enjoy the performance." Logan said, then disconnected the call. "Doctor Greenley needs me to cover for him at the hospital for a couple hours this afternoon."

"What time?"

"1:00. Do you want me to have Frank take me and you can take my car home when you are done here today, or would you rather have Frank drive you?"

"I actually need a nap. I was thinking of maybe taking an early lunch break and then working from home for the rest of the day, if that's ok with you."

"It's just after 11:30 now. Why don't we head out and I'll get you settled at home, then head to the hospital."

"Will you grab my purse? I'm gonna go let Doyle know."

"Sure. I'll meet you at his office." Logan said as he finished up what he was doing and Rory left the office.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Scene 3~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

* * *

"Hey Babe! How was work?" Rory asked getting up from where she was reading a book on the couch, when Logan walked into the kitchen that night, after working for several hours.

"Exhausting! Sorry I was gone for so long. I was only supposed to be there for a couple hours, but then things got crazy. Thanksgiving week is insane in the ER."

"Stupidity inspired accidents?"

"Some of them. You also get the domestic arguments that turn violent, the cooking accidents, the Christmas decoration injuries, the family sporting injuries, and then all the traffic accidents from all of the extra travelers."

"At least it sounds like you hear some pretty good stories."

"Last year we got a lady that fell over the banister on her stairs while trying to decorate, inflatable decorations that somehow exploded, air fryer explosions because people can't seem to follow directions, and several stove fires."

"The ER is definitely never dull."

"At least I am only on the emergency call list until Friday."

"Are you going to be able to get some time off Saturday night for the party?"

"Hopefully. Doctor Greenley owes me a favor for coming in today. What's new with you? Did your mom get everything set up?" Logan asked as he opened the fridge to find some dinner as Rory sat down on a bar stool next to the island in the middle of the kitchen.

"There's no food in there. We need to go grocery shopping."

"I'm realizing that."

"We've only been home from Europe for 24 hours, and last night we got burgers on the way home from the airport. It's only 8:00, do you want to go out?"

"We're going to have to unless you want to have something delivered. What are you feeling like?"

"Actually, a sandwich sounds really good right now."

"Jimmy Johns?"

"That sounds amazing!"

"Have you eaten at all since I left?"

"I finished off the snacks from Bobbie, then went over to Honor's house around 5 to go through her storage stuff. Josh brought some stuff over, and is going have his brother help him with the rest tomorrow morning."

"What all did you claim?"

"That chair in the corner of the living room, some stuff for downstairs, a dresser for one of the rooms upstairs, a few area rugs, lamps, and another bed set. And I might have stolen some of their dinner. They are leaving tomorrow afternoon to go pick up your dad, so their chef came in today to cook just so they wouldn't have to get groceries. The chef will be there while your parents are in town, so Honor is taking the hands off approach until your parents leave. I told her that I might have to convince Adrian to bring me over some food while you are working just so I don't get stuck in a bad situation with Shira."

"Your mom and Dad are coming back here with us Thursday night. You won't need to have Adrian smuggle you food. You'll have Luke at your beck and call."

"Oh yeah! I totally forgot about that!"

"Did your mom get everything set up for Saturday?"

"She's working on it. She said that we should be able to get a moving truck, and Grandma and Grandpa agreed to come see the house. They are actually really excited. Grandma wants to do some shopping on Sunday while they are in the city."

"Sounds about right for Emily Gilmore. Do you want your regular beach club?"

"Yes, with mustard and Jimmy peppers. Mom is still working on the party aspect but so far she got Sookie to agree to make a baby themed cake for Honor for some kind of party that she is supposedly throwing for a 'friend' and then a cool housewarming party cake for us." Rory explained. "Sookie is excited to come see the house, and mom was heading over to Lane's house when I talked to her about an hour ago. She still hasn't talked to Dad yet though."

"I'm sure everything will work out."

"Mom loves planning events. It's the one thing she inherited from Grandma. But it's funny because both of them have completely different styles, so their events are like night and day."

"I'm sure it'll be a great party."

"Me too. Honor was excited to have it at her house. Adrian is going to take care of a lot of the food, and mom got Sookie to make all of my favorites, and some soup supposedly for your dad, but really, it's for me. Mom is using your dad as a decoy to get me stuff until we share the news."

"I'm sure that Sookie and Luke are going to be all over fulfilling all your cravings for the next 7 months. You definitely won't starve with them in the family."

"Mom is freakishly excited."

"Of course she is! Who wouldn't want to have a grand baby! Food will be here in 20 minutes."

"Uh, Shira is going to freak, that's for sure! I highly doubt she wants a grand baby Or at least not from me."

"Mom wouldn't dare to act upset at the party, don't worry. I've already gone after her at a prior event. I'm pretty sure she is scarred for life. Plus, remember how she didn't say a single word to you at the hospital after Dad's heart attack? I'm pretty sure she knows better than to cross me."

"I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when you went after your mother. That had to have been pretty epic."

"It was. I was pretty drunk at the time."

"So you don't remember it then?"

"Oh no, I remember it for sure!"

_******* FLASHBACK *******_

"_Mitchum Dear, did you see that the O'Connor family is here? They are talking to Josh's mother over in the corner." Shira said as she sauntered up next to her husband, interrupting his conversation._

"_Yes Shira, I already spoke to Drake a little while ago. We are playing golf tomorrow afternoon."_

"_Hi, Shira is it? I'm Paris Gellar. I'm a friend of Logan's." Paris said holding her hand out and introducing herself to Logan's mother._

"_Paris, it is a pleasure to meet you. How do you know Logan?"_

"_We are in medical school together at Columbia. We also went to Yale together."_

"_You are going to medical school as well? There are so many great doctors coming out of Yale these days. It's tradition for our family to go there. It's very prestigious you know. Were you and Logan friends at Yale?"_

"_You could say that."_

"_That is excellent! Yale friends are so wonderful to keep in touch with. You must have known that dreadful Gilmore girl that Logan dated. Oh, we are so glad that she is out of the picture! Of all the people Logan has been friends with over the years, she was just the worst!"_

"_HOW DARE YOU! Who the hell do you think you are?!" Logan angerly shouted, butting into the conversation. "You shut your mouth right this second! What the hell is wrong with you that you come here, to this party, and you start badmouthing Rory! Do you even know who you are speaking to?!"_

"_Logan, I've got this. I can handle her." Paris told him._

"_No way! I am taking care of this crap right now! Do you even know who you are talking to, Mother?! Paris is Rory's best friend! I can't even believe you! You just run your mouth wherever you go, to anyone who will give you the time of day, not even caring who they are! For all you know, you could have been running your foul mouth to Rory's sister, or her cousin, and you wouldn't even know it. Heck, what if Paris had been Rory's boss, and you had just cost Rory her job?! What then mother?! What would you do then?"_

"_Uh, what's going on?" Collin asked, stepping up next to Paris, who just gestured with her hand to the scene in front of her._

"_What happens when you run your disgusting mouth to the wrong person and end up getting yourself sued?! Do you think that any of us are going to have your back? Do you think that we'll defend you? You will completely bankrupt this family, and Dad will kick you to the curb and divorce you like yesterday's trash! Is that what you really want?! Do you want to go back to the farms in Iowa where you came from, be that poor girl that has nothing again?! Because I will make sure to completely ruin your life if I ever hear you say a single word about Rory, ever again! Do you understand me?! You shut your big mouth, right now, or I will decimate you! I don't even want to look at you right now. You disgust me!"_

"_Hey Man, you need to calm down." Finn said stepping up next to Logan and attempting to grab his arm._

"_NO! I will NOT calm down! You don't walk into someone else's party, and start talking trash about other people! Especially NOT someone that half the people at this party know and love! Who the hell do you think you are?! You don't get to walk around bad mouthing people for no reason at all! Rory is our friend! We all love her! I love her! And for you to just waltz in here and start talking trash about her because you are a miserable jealous bitch, is completely uncalled for! How would you like it if I walked into your party and started calling you trailer trash?! Is that what you want?! Do you want me to tell everyone here the honest truth about who you are?! About the farms you used to work on and the trailer you grew up in?! Do you want me to tell everyone how you suckered Dad into knocking you up with Honor, because you knew that he was rich, and that his family would force him to marry your trampy self?! Is that what you want?! Do you want me to tell everyone what a self-centered piece of trash you are?! Because I would be more than happy to do it!"_

"_Logan!" Mitchum's voice boomed over his irate son._

"_Oh shut it Dad! You know that everything I'm saying is completely true! Don't even try to defend this shit to me!"_

"_Logan, let's go. It's time to go." Collin said grabbing one of Logan's arms, while Finn latched onto the other one._

"_You know what?! Screw you! Screw both of you! Don't ever talk to me, ever again!" Logan said as he was hauled off by his friends, with Paris right behind him._

***** END FLASHBACK *****

"You seriously said all of that to your Mother?!" Rory asked, completely shocked by the story that Logan was telling her.

"Everyone was completely shocked to hear me explode. I just couldn't hold it in anymore."

"It's no wonder Shira is afraid of you now. You called her out on everything!"

"She deserved it. I was still pretty mad at Mom and Dad at that point, for refusing to help pay for school. I just can't understand why anyone wouldn't want their kid to become a doctor. It just doesn't make any sense to me. I thought that they would have been thrilled!"

"I don't understand it either, but you definitely showed them where to shove their wrong opinions."

"Honor was upset at me for a while but she got over it pretty quickly. She kicked Mom and Dad out of the party and just told people that I was drunk and having a really bad day. I doubt anyone else even remembers anything that I said. I haven't seen any of those people since, except for Josh's parents, and Honor explained everything to them. They've never been big fans of Mom in the first place."

"How mad was your dad?"

"He was pretty pissed, but really, what could he have done? She needed to be told!"

"I can't believe that you publicly called your mother out on all of that at a party."

"I don't regret it at all, and I would do it all again if needed. You're my wife." Logan said walking around the island to stand in front of Rory, and laying a hand on her stomach. "I will never not defend you, no matter who is running their mouth. You, and our little jelly bean are the two most important people in the world to me. I would give my life for both of you, in a heartbeat! I love you, and I don't care what anyone else has to say about it."

"I love you too." Rory smiled as Logan kissed her. "Oh, babe, I need you to call Collin about Saturday."


	30. Chapter 30

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

I hope this update finds everybody healthy and happy. We are currently safe from COVID-19. We are currently self quarantined in our home. The schools will be closing here next week, which means that I will be home all day with two autistic kids, until further notice. We are currently snuggled in bed watching Frozen II now that it has released early on Disney Plus. If anyone has kids and needs help with finding some educational materials to keep them learning while the schools are closed, there is a list on facebook of all the companies providing free learning memberships for their apps and programs, including ABC Mouse. If anyone needs a copy of that list, feel free to let me know and I can get it to you. If any of you are sick, I wish you a speedy recovery, and I urge you all to reach out to your local resources for any help that you may need. Many school districts, and local businesses are providing free lunches to students in need, no questions asked. Just hang in there, and keep up with the the great hygiene and obsessively washing your hands. And most importantly, have a plan for your family. We are a family of asthmatics, and have a plan in place just in case one of us starts getting sick. We are doing our best to stay healthy, I hope that you are all doing the same. Have a great weekend, and I'll update as much as I can to help keep you all entertained.

Fanfiction seems to me messing up the formatting, so I apologize for that. I am trying to figure out a solution

* * *

"Rory, Logan, come in come in! It is so good to see you!" Emily Gilmore said beckoning her granddaughter into the house Wednesday morning. "I am so glad you could both make it. I hope it wasn't too much trouble for you to get the day off from work at the hospital, Logan."

"No, it wasn't any trouble at all. I wouldn't dare miss our first Thanksgiving together."

"Let me take your coats. Go on into the living room. Are you hungry? Can I get you a drink?"

"Is Mom here yet?" Rory asked as Logan helped her out of her coat, then handed it to Emily along with his own.

"She is. She's in the living room with your grandfather. There are some delicious pastries in the kitchen if you would like something to eat."

"I'll just have a ginger ale if you have it. Or a club soda." Rory told her.

"What about you Logan? What can I get for you?"

"I'll have the same as Rory."

"Alright then, you two are nice and easy today! Richard, look who's here!"

"Rory, Logan, it is so great to see you!" Richard smiled as Rory and Logan entered the living room with Emily right behind them.

"Richard, do we have any ginger ale to drink?" Emily asked.

"No, I don't believe that we do. Do I need to go get some? I don't mind running out if need be."

"I've actually got some right here." Lorelai smiled pulling a large bottle out of her purse.

"You travel with ginger ale now?" Emily asked.

"I might have made a stop on the way here. I knew Rory has been drinking it a lot lately, and you normally don't keep it in the house."

"It's always good to be prepared." Richard commented, standing from his chair, and taking the bottle from Lorelai.

"I have two bottles here, and several more in the car if needed."

"Thanks Mom." Rory said taking a seat on the couch next to Lorelai.

"Rory, are you not feeling well? Ginger ale isn't normally your drink of choice. You didn't have to come all this way if you are feeling ill. You should have stayed home, in bed."

"No, I'm ok Grandma. I actually have some news to share with you guys."

"Is everything going well at work?"

"Everything is great!" Rory said tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Rory, what in the world did you do to your hand?!" Emily gasped noticing the brace on Rory's right hand.

"I might have accidentally fallen out of bed and sprained it."

"You did what?! How in the world did you accidentally fall out of bed?"

"I don't really know. Logan was at work when it happened, so I called Honor for help, and she took me to the hospital to have Logan check it out."

"I had x-rays, and MRI and some blood tests done to try to figure out exactly what happened and if there was any damage done. Especially with it being the same hand I stitched up a couple months ago. There are no broken bones, or torn ligaments. She'll be in a brace for a few weeks, but otherwise she'll be fine." Logan explained.

"You did blood tests for a sprained wrist?" Richard asked.

"I wanted to see if we could figure out why she fell. Rory doesn't know what happened. Either her foot got caught getting out of bed, or it slipped when she stepped onto the floor. She doesn't really remember, which could be an indication that she blacked out for a moment. I just wanted to rule out any underlying problems that could have caused her to lose consciousness, or even become dizzy and briefly unresponsive. Rory is slightly anemic, but that is easily treated. The anemia probably caused her to become dizzy, which would explain why she fell and doesn't really know what happened. She could have simply sat up too quickly after waking up, then gotten a blood rush when she tried to get out of bed and it would make her fall. All that matters is that she's ok. Sprains take a while to heal, but she'll make a full recovery. I've already changed her vitamin intake, so the anemia is taken care of. Rory is in great health."

"That is good to hear." Richard told them.

"So what is this news that you have today?" Emily asked handing out the drinks Richard had just prepared.

"Well . . ." Rory started. "I was just wondering how the two of you might feel about becoming Great Grandparents?"

"Great Grandparents?" Richard asked.

"Great Grandparents . . . Rory are you pregnant?!" Emily gasped.

"I might be almost 10 weeks along."

"Might be?" Lorelai chuckled. "Honey, there is no might about it. You either are or you aren't. There is no might in pregnancy."

"Did you hear that Richard?! Rory is having a baby!" Emily excitedly announced.

"I did hear that! This is spectacular news! Spectacular news indeed!"

"Just imagine Richard, her blue eyes, and Logan's blonde hair, on an adorable little baby!"

"Sounds like a beautiful child! Congratulations Honey! We are very excited for you!"

"Thank you Grandpa!" Rory smiled.

"Rory, when are you due?" Emily asked.

"May 23rd." Logan answered. "We haven't told anyone else yet. We are going to tell everyone at the housewarming party on Saturday."

"Which means that you two need to act surprised when they announce it Saturday night. Not even Christopher knows yet." Lorelai explained to her parents.

"Rory, you haven't told your father yet?" Emily asked.

"I want to do it in person, and we won't get to see him before Saturday night."

"Well don't you worry my dear. Your secret is safe with us." Richard told them.

"Thank you Grandpa. And just a fair warning, morning sickness has been getting the best of me lately, so if I suddenly disappear on you today, I apologize ahead of time."

"Don't even worry about it Honey. I got terrible morning sickness with your mother. I was sick for months!" Emily told her. "Just let us know what we can do to help you."

"Thank you Grandma. Actually, do you happen to have any bread that I can snack on?"

"You want bread?" Richard asked.

"Let's go to the kitchen and see what we can find you. Then we'll head down to the basement and see what we can find for your new house."

"You are going to come up on Saturday, right?"

"Yes we are. Your mother says your new house is lovely. We are very excited to see it." Emily said as she led Rory into the kitchen with Logan and Lorelai right behind them. "Whatever we don't find for you in the basement and you still need for yourself after your party on Saturday, you and I can go shopping for on Sunday. Maybe we can even look at some baby things?"

"That sounds great Grandma. You have impeccable taste. I'm sure that between you Mom and I, we can finally get the house done."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Scene 2 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Rory, this house is incredible!" Lane said as they walked through Logan and Rory's house Saturday afternoon, passing by a window looking out into the backyard. "The boys love your yard! Look how happy they are outside, playing basketball."

"Logan loves it too. He goes out there are plays catch with Rocky. We have a built in grill out there and everything. I'm actually curious if they've found the trampoline yet."

"You have a trampoline?

"There is an in-ground trampoline on the other side of the yard."

"At least it's in ground, so it's only mildly dangerous. The boys will still try to bounce each other off of it."

"Maybe we shouldn't tell them then." Rory laughed.

"We can make Zach watch them . . . Actually, you're right, let's not tell any of them. Zach will likely participate in the insanity."

"How do you survive with 3 boys?"

"I hide a lot." Lane told her. "And I eat a lot of chocolate."

"Knock Knock! Anyone home?!" a voice called from downstairs.

"Who's that?!" Lorelai's voice echoed through the house.

"Marco!"

"Polo! You better have girl scout cookies!"

"Must be my dad." Rory laughed leading Lane to the stairs and heading down to see her Dad standing in the foyer with Gigi.

"Sorry, no cookies today, just housewarming presents for the daughter." Christopher said seeing Rory and Lane descending the stairs, then Loreleai walking out of the back of the house followed by Emily. "Hey Kiddo! Nice crib!"

"Hey Dad! Thanks for coming on such short notice. Hey Gigi! Lane, you remember my Dad and sister, right?"

"I do! How are you guys? Gigi, you are so grown up!"

"Thanks." Gigi smiled.

"Where do I put this stuff?" Christopher asked nodding at the boxes in his and Gigi's arms.

"Come to the kitchen." Lorelai told them. "Hey G! How are you honey?"

"I'm good, how are you?" she asked as they followed Lorelai.

"Wow Ror, look at this place!" Christopher said as he looked around.

"I'll give you the official tour in a little bit." Lorelai told him.

"You're giving the tour?"

"I am. Rory is needed elsewhere." she said, nodding toward the living room.

"What is that about?" Lane asked under her breath.

"Logan and Mom have me on a strict rest schedule after falling out of bed last weekend. Logan ran all kinds of tests and they came back saying I'm anemic and he thinks it caused me to get dizzy and light headed from getting up too fast, and I blacked out for a few seconds causing me to fall. That's how I sprained my wrist." Rory said holding up her right hand as they walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"Is it bad that I thought that was left over from the whole stitches and cast thing?"

"Not at all. That's actually what most people are thinking, so they haven't even asked about it. It's for the best. It makes me not have to explain things."

"You have to give them credit for looking out for you. They just want what's best."

"I know. It just gets a little old having a babysitter all the time."

"Seriously? Logan has you being babysat?"

"I think it's the doctor in him. He has too much knowledge and I'm the one having to suffer. He's very over protective sometimes."

"He loves you though. It's sweet when they're so protective."

"Oh hey, now that we are alone, I need to tell you something." Rory started as she watched her mom leave the kitchen and head upstairs with Christopher and Gigi. "You have to keep this quiet for a few more hours because only my mom and Grandparents know until later tonight, but you're my best friend, and you told me first when you found out that you were pregnant . . ."

"You're pregnant?!" Lane shrieked quietly as Rory nodded her head. "Oh my gosh! Rory! I am so excited for you!"

"Thank you! I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I didn't want to tell you over the phone, and there were way too many ears everywhere when I saw you Thursday."

"No, I totally get it. But you are telling everyone later?"

"Yeah. We are kind of having a gender reveal party later tonight, disguised as a housewarming party."

"Which is how you got everyone to show up without telling them what is going on."

"Exactly!"

"So you are far enough along already to know the gender?"

"I guess so. I'm 10 weeks now."

"How is it possible to know the gender at only 10 weeks? I had to wait until 20."

"I have no idea. Paris ordered a blood test on Monday. I googled it, and it says that you can find out the gender through a blood test as early as 7 weeks."

"That is incredible! I didn't know you could even do that! So, are you going to tell me what you are having before you tell everyone else?"

"I wish I knew!" Rory said rolling her eyes. "Paris is holding the results hostage. Only she knows what they are."

"Gotta love Paris!"

"Right?! She actually blackmailed us into having the party today. She wanted to throw a gender reveal with mom, and wasn't going to let us know what we are having until the party. We weren't even planning to tell anyone for a few more weeks, but then she pulled the blackmail card, and with how sick I've been lately, and everything else going on and with Logan's Dad being in rehab in California, we realized the other day that we should just come clean this weekend while Mitchum is in town because it'll be pretty obvious with me running off to throw up all the time. I had to tell Grandma and Grandpa on Wednesday when we were at their house for first Thanksgiving, just so they wouldn't get all upset when I was sick and disappeared."

"That totally makes sense. The morning sickness is the worst part of pregnancy. Did Paris at least give you good meds?"

"Logan gave them to me. We found out in the ER when I fell out of bed and sprained my wrist. Logan was at work when it happened, so I called Honor for help, and she took me to the hospital to have Logan check me out. He had to do a test before I could get x-rays, and then of course he had to do a blood test and call Paris in to do an ultrasound just to make sure the baby was ok after I fell, and to have her give me medication for the MRI he ordered. It was a really long day at the hospital."

"I'll say! But at least you are both ok. Do you have pictures?"

"They're on my phone over on the counter by the fridge." Rory said as she started to get up.

"No, you stay, I'll get it. I now understand the babysitter and mandatory rest thing." Lane said as she got up and walked into the kitchen to retrieve Rory's phone, bringing it back to the living room for her.

"Right?! I still think it's kind of over kill, but it's super sweet too. He just worries."

"Does he talk to your stomach too."

"Yes, and it's adorable! I started crying the first time he did it. It was the night we found out. He came home from work, and my mom and Luke were here, but had gone outside to get some stuff from the car. We were alone in the kitchen for a few minutes, and I was sitting on one of bar stools, and he kissed my stomach and started talking to the baby, telling the little jelly bean that he loves him and can't wait to meet him. And no, I don't know what the baby is, I just don't want to call the baby it, or them because it's just one and I just don't know what pronoun I'm supposed to use."

"Have you picked out any names yet?"

"Not yet. We haven't even really talked about it. This entire thing was a complete surprise. Like you, it literally happened on our first night back together."

"So you weren't trying at all."

"We haven't been not trying either. I went off the pill years ago because I was so busy and just didn't care to date. You know how crazy my life was."

"And how in love with Logan you always were, so no one ever measured up."

"Exactly! I wasn't dating, or even trying to hook up with anyone, so I went off of it, and didn't even think about it when Logan walked back into my life. Everything happened so fast that I didn't even realize that we hadn't been using protection or anything until he asked me at the hospital, if there was any chance that I could be pregnant. I just froze. I literally didn't know one way or the other. Things have been so insane since we got back together that I couldn't remember if I had even had a period since getting back with him. I was sitting there wracking my brain, trying to remember, and I just couldn't. So then when the test was positive and Paris came in, she asked a bunch of questions and did some measurements and stuff to determine how far along I am."

"Your life is definitely never dull."

"I can't believe we've only been back together for 10 weeks. It literally feels like it's been a lifetime with everything that has been going on lately. I haven't even had a chance to stop to catch my breath yet. I ran into Logan at the coffee shop, then got hurt a few hours later and ended up in his ER. Then Mom, Dad and Luke came to town that night, Logan and I got back together the next night, and it was still a few more days before everyone left town and we got a few days of quiet to enjoy being together. Then all of a sudden Mitchum had a heart attack, and I suddenly was taking over the family business, totally pandemonium happened, we ran away to elope, then we had to come right back the next morning for my birthday, then it was all about getting Mitchum's care figured out, and figuring out work schedules teaching me the business. Then we left town to take Mitchum to the rehab center out in Malibu, and Logan surprised me with a really fun trip. We had business meetings in the morning, then in the afternoons we went to Knotts Berry Farm, Magic Mountain, Disneyland, and Universal Studios. Then we came back, the next day I got hurt and we got the news, and then we had to fly out to Europe for a week, two days later. We just got back Sunday night, I had a doctor appointment first thing Monday morning, then Wednesday was first Thanksgiving with my grandparents, Thanksgiving at the Dragonfly on Thursday, mom came back here with us that night and we went Black Friday shopping yesterday, and now all of this today. It's literally been one thing after the next since the run in at the coffee shop. It's like my life is in warp speed or something."

"Wait, you got to go theme park hopping?!" Lane asked.

"We did. It was awesome! Completely exhausting, but totally awesome too. It was the only real break that we've had. Logan scheduled all the meetings we had to do into two big morning meetings rather than 6 different smaller ones, and it freed up a lot of time. It was pretty awesome."

"I'm kind of jealous right now. Maybe we need to take a girls trip when things calm down." Lane said as Lorelai passed through the living room with Christopher and Gigi, handing Rory a bottle of water and a sandwich from the fridge.

"Thanks Mom." Rory said as Lorelai continued on her way with the tour of the house.

"I love that your mom just walked through here and nonchalantly handed you food and a drink without even saying a word, or stopping what she was doing. It was like it was part of her tour." Lane whispered.

"She's stealthy for sure. Logan has me eating every few hours."

"So where did your grandma disappear to? I saw her for literally a second."

"I don't know. She's kind of all over the place. We went shopping in her basement while we were there on Wednesday, and mom arranged to have movers bring everything up today, so Grandma has been busy directing them around, and getting things set up. Grandpa was here for a while, but I think he's out playing golf with a friend or something. I haven't seen him in a couple hours."

"Your grandfather is setting up your office upstairs." Emily said as she walked through the room.

"He is?" Rory asked as she took a bite of her sandwich. "I didn't even see him when we were up there."

"He was down here setting up Logan's office, then moved upstairs when he was finished."

"Logan's office is finished?"

"Just about."

"Wow, the things I miss when I'm not in charge!"

"We'll give you a tour when we get things completed. You and I will still need to go out tomorrow for some other things, but your mom sent me pictures of the rooms the other day, and I had some things ordered that were just delivered."

"How did I not know about any of this?"

"Did I not tell you? I'm sorry, it must have slipped my mind. Oh well, you know now." Emily said, then walked away to go back to what she had been doing.

"Geez, it's like I'm a guest in my own house today."

"Enjoy it while it lasts. And if you completely hate everything they've done, we can redo it all later on." Lane told her.

"Good point!"

"So Logan's dad is in town right now?"

"He is. Honor flew out to get him from rehab and brought him back Wednesday afternoon, then had a driver bring Shira up. They're staying with Honor across the street."

"Have they seen your house yet?"

"Nope! Honor told them that she doesn't have a key. She's going to bring them over later on after Grandma is done doing her thing and Logan is home from work."

"Have you seen them at all?"

"I actually haven't. I was out with Mom yesterday when Logan went over to see them."

"Do they know your news yet?"

"Nope! They'll find out with everyone else."

"I'm curious how that will go over."

"Me too." Rory admitted. "Logan swears everything will be ok, but you never know with Shira. Last time I saw her, she didn't even give me the time of day. Logan and Honor have her on a very short leash."

"Maybe they should add a muzzle."

"They kind of have. Logan apparently attacked her at a party a few years ago when she randomly started bad mouthing me."

"He attacked her?"

"Verbally lashed out at her in front of everyone! She's been afraid of him ever since."

"Wow! That's crazy!"

"You're telling me!" Rory agreed looking up as they heard someone enter the kitchen, and drop a set of keys on the counter.

"Hey Ace! How's your day going?" Logan asked seeing Rory in the living room with Lane. "Hey Lane! Welcome to the chaos!"

"Hey Babe! I didn't expect you home so soon." Rory said as Logan walked into the living room, give her a brief kiss, then sitting down in a chair next to the couch.

"Doctor Greenley took over early to return the favor from the other day."

"Wait, you've been at the hospital all day, and you come home looking like that, and not smelling like a foot?" Lane asked.

"Logan takes clothes to work with him, and showers before leaving the hospital so he doesn't bring any germs home." Rory explained.

"Well damn! I wish my husband showered the way you do! Heck, I wish my boys would just shower!"

"Logan showers any time he leaves the hospital. Even if it's just to go grab lunch." Rory told her.

"Do you teach lessons?" Lane asked. "Because I know 3 boys that could really use them!"

"Where are your boys? Did they come up with you?" Logan asked.

"They're outside playing basketball."

"I'll douse them in Lysol when they come back inside."

"They might need more than that."

"Are you guys staying up here tonight? Because I could make them go shower before the party if they have extra clothes with them."

"I wish we could. We have to get back to the Hollow tonight. Zach has a work thing that we have to go to tomorrow."

"Bummer! You'll have to come up again another time."

"I definitely will! Rory told me your news. Congratulations! I am so excited!"

"Thank you! We are too."

"Logan, do you want the rest of this sandwich? I can't finish it." Rory said holding her plate out toward Logan.

"Sure. I haven't eaten since breakfast. Is Sookie still cooking today?"

"I think so. She'll probably be here pretty soon to get started."

"Sookie is already here. I think she's at your sister's house." Lane spoke up.

"She is?"

"We drove up with her. She said something about helping your sister with a baby party for a friend, which now makes complete sense. But question, how is your sister planning a baby party with your parents over there, and them not knowing anything?"

"That is actually a REALLY good question! I have no idea!"

"Honor is pretty sneaky when she wants to be. She probably sent Shira to a spa for the day, and Mitchum out to play golf with Josh." Rory told them. "I'm willing to bet that your parents aren't even there right now."

"You're probably right." Logan agreed as the doorbell rang. "I'll go get that. You two relax."


	31. Chapter 31

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

I hope this update finds everybody healthy and happy. We are currently safe from COVID-19. We are currently self quarantined in our home. The schools will be closing here next week, which means that I will be home all day with two autistic kids, until further notice. We are currently snuggled in bed watching Frozen II now that it has released early on Disney Plus. If anyone has kids and needs help with finding some educational materials to keep them learning while the schools are closed, there is a list on facebook of all the companies providing free learning memberships for their apps and programs, including ABC Mouse. If anyone needs a copy of that list, feel free to let me know and I can get it to you. If any of you are sick, I wish you a speedy recovery, and I urge you all to reach out to your local resources for any help that you may need. Many school districts, and local businesses are providing free lunches to students in need, no questions asked. Just hang in there, and keep up with the the great hygiene and obsessively washing your hands. And most importantly, have a plan for your family. We are a family of asthmatics, and have a plan in place just in case one of us starts getting sick. We are doing our best to stay healthy, I hope that you are all doing the same. Have a great weekend, and I'll update as much as I can to help keep you all entertained.

Fanfiction seems to me messing up the formatting, so I apologize for that. I am trying to figure out a solution

* * *

"Rory, your house is beautiful!" I love your family room!" Stephanie said approaching Rory and Logan, with Collin and Finn right behind her.

"Thank you! My grandmother has taken over today, and completely changed everything. This place doesn't look at all like it did yesterday. She even gave me a tour of my own home a little while ago."

"Are you serious?"

"Emily has impeccable taste." Logan commented. "She's done an amazing job!"

"She should be an interior designer. I would definitely hire her to redo my house."

"You should tell her that. She loves doing this stuff." Rory told her.

"Mate, where is the man cave?" Finn asked.

"There is a game room downstairs. Take Collin and Valerie with you. I think Lane, Zach and their boys are down there." Logan answered pointing to the door to the basement stairs.

"Hey Rory, this house is gorgeous! I want your bedroom!" Sookie said as she approached the group.

"Hey Sookie! I heard you were here, but I hadn't seen you yet." Rory said giving Sookie a hug.

"I've been over at Honor's house helping her get ready for a party she's throwing for a friend. Doing two parties in one day is a lot, but at least you guys are across the street from each other. It makes things so much easier!"

"Sookie, this isn't really a party. Just a stop by to see the new house and grab a snack thing. And we are all actually going to go over to Honor's party in a little bit anyway. We just figured everyone should start here first, so we don't have to shuttle people back and forth."

"Sookie, thank you so much for all of the kitchen stuff! I can't wait to finally have a chance to actually cook something." Logan told her.

"You are so welcome, Honey! I've been collecting for Rory since she started college. I am so glad she married someone who enjoys cooking. I offered to give her lessons, you know?"

"You did? And why didn't you take her up on them?" Logan asked, looking at his wife.

"Please, I'm Lorelai's daughter. The only things I know how to make, you taught me at Yale."

"Sookie, maybe you'll have to come spend a weekend with us and teach us both." Logan told her.

"I would love that! Just let me know when a good time would be for you. After the holidays of course, unless you want to come down to the Dragonfly, and I can teach you there."

"We will definitely do that!" Logan said as Rory nudged him and pointed toward the front door. "I'm so sorry, would you please excuse us, my parents just walked in."

"I'll catch up with you guys in a little while." Rory smiled as Logan took her hand, and led her away to say hello to his parents.

"Mother, Dad, thanks for coming." Logan said greeting his parents.

"It's about time you let us come over Logan." Mitchum told him

"Dad, we didn't even have furniture until today. We've been unpacking and trying to get settled. Emily has been directing delivery teams around since this morning."

"Emily is here?" Shira asked.

"She is. She's the one who has done all the interior design."

"Would you like her to give you a tour?" Rory asked.

"That would be lovely." Shira smiled fakely.

"I'll go find her, please excuse me." Rory smiled, then quickly walked away to find her grandmother.

"Mother, you need to be nicer to Rory. Pretending she doesn't exist isn't an option here. This is Rory's home. You either be pleasant, or you can leave. Do you understand me?" Logan asked once Rory was out of the room.

"Logan, watch your tone." Mitchum warned.

"Don't tell me what to do in my own home. You either treat my wife with respect, or you can get out of her home, and never be welcome back in our lives. It's your choice to make." Logan told them, then walked away himself.

"Damn Bro!" Collin said as he followed Logan through the house.

"What?" Logan asked.

"You really aren't messing around with the Dragon Lady, are you?"

"Not after the crap she's pulled. She's lucky to be here today at all."

"Can we not have a repeat of last time?"

"No promises. Let's just hope that my mother is on her best behavior."

"My Grandma is taking care of Shira." Rory said stepping up next to Logan and Collin as Logan slid his arm around her and kissed the side of her head.

"Logan just bit into his parents." Collin told her.

"Awesome! I'm sure Grandma will do the same thing. She told me not to worry about Shira at all tonight because she was going to personally make sure your mother is on her best behavior."

"Should we be worried?" Logan asked.

"Nah, Grandma can handle her. But there could be some pretty epic fireworks coming."

"I'm not posting bail tonight." Collin told them.

"Don't worry Collin, my grandma won't be needing any." Rory assured him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Scene 2 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

7:00pm

Rothschild Residence

"Hey Everybody, can I have your attention please?" Honor yelled over all of the noise in her house. Suddenly a loud whistle pierced everyone's ears. "Hey, thanks for that!"

"No problem!" Paris smiled.

"I just wanted to say thank you all for coming over on such short notice. We are so glad that everyone could make it. We have an amazing buffet dinner all set up for everyone in the kitchen, thanks to the absolutely incredible Sookie. But before we all dig in, my brother wanted to say something." Honor said giving Logan a look.

"Me? Seriously? We didn't even talk about this." Logan told her.

"Just do it." Honor said under her breath.

"Thank you everyone for coming to see mine and Rory's new home, and thank you Lorelai, Honor and Emily for all of your help in getting everything unpacked and set up these last couple days. Especially Emily who completely took over today, and turned our house into a home. She did so much that Rory and I had to take a tour ourselves because everything was totally unrecognizable from even yesterday. We couldn't have gotten settled this quickly without the three of you."

"And?" Honor prompted looking back and forth between Rory and Logan as Rory just shrugged her shoulders.

"And I guess all of you have been looking around here wondering which one of Honor's friends is having a baby . . . Surprise, it's us!" Logan said as gasps and laughter were heard among the crowd.

"I'm going to be an aunty!" Honor cheered.

"Actually Honor, the surprise is on YOU!" Paris said stepping up between Honor and Logan.

"What?" Honor asked.

"I got your test results back yesterday . . . You're having a baby too!" Paris announced.

"No freaking way?! You're lying!"

"She's not lying. I have the paperwork right here." Logan said pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket. "You're due about a month after us." he said as Honor burst into tears.

"I'm gonna be an aunty!" Rory cheered.

"Congratulations Honor!" Paris said giving her a brief hug, and reaching out of shake Josh's hand.

"Let's eat!" Sookie yelled, then headed into the kitchen to start serving dinner.

"You knew?" Rory asked Logan as Josh took the paper from him.

"Paris told me yesterday. I had to get Josh's parents here for the surprise."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because we wanted it to be a surprise for everyone, including you. Sorry Ace."

"So do you know what we're having too?"

"If I did, I would have told you. Unfortunately, I can't access your patient records unless you are in the ER. And I believe Paris has all of her patients password protected anyway. She doesn't like anyone interfering in her practice."

"So we just have to wait until she decides to tell us then."

"Pretty much. Come on, let's go get you fed."

"Is it weird that your parents are over there talking to Honor, but haven't said a single word to us?" Rory asked as Logan led her through the house to the kitchen."

"I'm curious how this will play out."

"How what will play out?" Lorelai asked as they walked into the kitchen.

"Logan's parents haven't said a word to us since he snapped at them earlier. They're all over Honor right now, but literally haven't come near us."

"Do you want me to go say something?"

"No. I want to see how this plays out." Logan told her. "Actually, if you could ask Emily to step down on her babysitting duties, I am really curious to see what goes down."

"Sure. I'll go tell her right now." Lorelai said walking away.

"Logan thank you so much for inviting us tonight! Rory, it is so nice to finally meet you. I am Donna Rothschild, Josh's mother. I just wanted to come say Congratulations to you both." Mrs. Rothschild said stepping up next to Rory and Logan while they loaded plates up some food.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Donna. Thank you so much for coming." Rory smiled.

"Congratulations to you Donna!" Logan told her. "I'm so glad you could make it tonight. I know it means a lot to Honor and Josh."

"Thank you! When are you due Honey?" Donna asked.

"May 23rd. I guess about a month before Honor."

"That is so exciting! So I guess we will be finding out what you are having tonight?"

"That's what we've been told."

"I am so excited! I don't want to be demanding, but I hope you will invite me to your baby shower. I would love to be an honorary grandmother to your little one."

"We would love that! Thank you so much! I will for sure make sure you get invited!" Rory said setting her plate down and reaching out to hug Mrs. Rothschild.

"Donna, that is so sweet of you. Thank you so much!" Logan told her.

"It is my pleasure. I know that you don't have the best relationship with your parents, and I know that must hurt a lot. If there is anything that you need, no matter what it is, you let me know, ok?"

"We will. Thank you so much!"

"Hey Mom!" Rory called across the room.

"What's up?" Lorelai asked seeing Rory beckoning her.

"Mom, this is Donna Rothschild, Josh's mother. Donna, this is my mom, Lorelai Gilmore."

"It is so nice to meet you Donna! Josh is such a wonderful man! You must be so proud!"

"We are. It is a pleasure to meet you Lorelai. Welcome to the grandma club!"

"Thank you so much! Congratulation to you on becoming a grandma as well! How many grand babies do you have now?"

"This will be number 4. We have 3 little boys, and one precious little princess."

"That is so wonderful! You look like you adore them."

"I really do. I was just telling Rory and Logan that I know they don't have the best relationship with Logan's parents, and I would love to be an honorary grandmother to their little one."

"That is so kind of you, we would love to have you in the family! Thank you so much for offering! A baby can never have too many grandparents!"

"No, they definitely cannot. So Lorelai, Honor tells me you helped her to plan this wonderful party."

"I did. I had a lot of help from a couple of friends though. There is no way I could have pulled this off without them and Honor. She's becoming a second daughter to me."

"I adore Honor! She is going to be make such an amazing mother, as is your daughter. My husband and I have gotten to know Logan over the last few years, and he has really grown in to an amazing man. You can tell he worships your daughter."

"He really does. It's funny, I actually hated him when Rory first started dating him in college. He's grown up a lot in the time we've known him. He's a completely different person than he used to be."

"My husband and I went to his graduation from medical school. We are so proud of him!"

"Can I ask you something?" Lorelai asked.

"Of course!"

"Is it true that Mitchum and Shira didn't show up for his graduation?"

"Unfortunately, it is. From what we understand, he never had the best relationship with them, but it's progressively gotten worse over the last several years. I know that Logan and Rory recently took over the family company, and I imagine that has put a lot of strain on things as well."

"Wow, I can't even imagine! My parents haven't always agreed with everything I've done, but they've still always been there for me when it mattered." Lorelai said shaking her head.

"We may be Josh's parents, and have four other children of our own, but we consider Logan part of our family. Rory and Logan are welcome in our home, any time. You and I will more than make up for what Logan's parents are lacking."

"We will for sure!" Lorelai agreed.

"Donna, it is so nice to see you again! I see you've met my daughter." Emily said stepping up next to Lorelai and joining the conversation.

"Emily, it is so good to see you! It's been a long time. I didn't know that Lorelai is your daughter. What a small world!" Donna smiled.

"Yes, it is." Emily agreed.

"Mom, Donna has offered to be an honorary grandparent to Rory and Logan's baby." Lorelai told her.

"Really? Thank you Donna! That makes me so happy! We are honored to welcome you to the family! Have you seen Rory and Logan's new house yet?"

"I haven't."

"You need to see it, it's beautiful!"

"My mom has been over there since this morning. She has taken over all of the unpacking and interior design. She has really turned their house into a home today." Lorelai explained.

"You will definitely have to show me before we all leave." Donna said as she took a bite of the food on her plate. "Oh my! This food is incredible! Do either of you know who Honor's caterer is?"

"That would actually be my best friend Sookie. She is the chef at the Inn that I run a couple of hours from here."

"Is she here? I would love to meet her!"

"Absolutely! I will be right back!" Lorelai said excusing herself from the group.

"Sorry, if you will excuse us, we are going to go sit down. Grandma, mom has a key to the house, whenever you want to take Donna over."

"Thank you Rory. You go eat your dinner. Let me know if you need anything, and I'll get it for you, ok?"

"I will. Thank you Grandma." Rory smiled, then walked away with Logan to find somewhere to sit down.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me sooner!" Stephanie said as Rory and Logan sat down at the dining room table next to their group of friends.

"We wanted to tell everyone in person, and this was the first chance we could get everyone together." Logan told them.

"Rory, kiddo! Congratulations Honey!" Christopher said walking into the room and sitting down at the table with everyone else.

"Thanks Dad! Are you ready to be a Grandpa?"

"Let's not use that word. I am not old enough for anyone to be using that word on me." Christopher laughed.

"Well, you've got about 6 ½ more months to figure out what you want to be called, so you better get to thinking." Logan told him.

"I guess I'd better. Are you guys excited?"

"We are. It's incredible!"

"Have you thought of any names yet? Because I kind of like Christopher."

"You're hilarious!" Rory told him. "We actually haven't talked about it at all. We don't even know what we are having yet. Someone is refusing to tell us!" she said shooting a look at Paris.

"Oh hush up Gilmore! You'll know in the next hour. Quit your whining." Paris told her.

"Logan, are you parents excited?" Christopher asked.

"I'm pretty sure they are excited for Honor." Logan told him.

"That is pretty cool getting to become a parent at the same time as your sister. It's almost like you planned it."

"We didn't at all. Honor has been trying for years, and Rory and I, it just kind of happened. We blame Lorelai."

"She is definitely excited. You can see it all over her face."

"Yes, she is." Logan smiled.

"How is work going for you guys? Have things calmed down since I last saw you?"

"Yes and no." Rory told him. "We've were just in Europe last week to meet with several of the overseas papers, and before that, we were in California to get Mitchum settled into a rehab center in Malibu, and meet with some papers out there."

"Gigi told me you went to Disneyland?"

"We did. Logan had the meetings with the papers scheduled for first thing in the morning, and we were able to have the afternoons off and go to a few theme parks. It was a lot of fun! We had a great time!"

"You know, I've never been to Disneyland. Maybe we'll have to go when your baby is a little older. Gigi has been with her mother a few times. Mostly to the Paris park. She loves it! She's been wanting to go out to California."

"I've never been a Disney person, but it was really fun! I didn't know that Gigi is a Disney person?"

"She loves all things Disney. I used to have to read her Cinderella before bed every night for like 3 years. I took her to Disney World when she was little. There is so much to do there! You would go for a month and still not see everything."

"I've heard that." Logan told him. "I've never been. That stuff was never important to my parents. We'll definitely be doing things differently."

"So when is this baby due anyway? You said about 6 months?"

"May 23rd." Rory told him.

"I will put that on my calendar right now, and make sure that I am here with you. I know I wasn't the best Dad to you kiddo, and I definitely wasn't around much when you were growing up. But I want to make up for that. I'm gonna to do my best to be around more."

"That would be great Dad. Thank you!"

"It's the least I can do for my first grand baby. I am so proud of you Honey! You are going to be an amazing mother! You had a great example in Lorelai. Your baby is very lucky to have you."

"Thank you Dad! That means so much!" Rory said wiping a tear from her cheek. "Geez, everyone is making me cry today."

"Welcome to the preggo hormones!" Stephanie laughed. "I was a blubbering mess when I was pregnant with Valerie. It gets a little bit better, but never fully goes away."

"I was the same way." Lane said joining the conversation. "Pregnancy makes you an emotional nightmare."

"Great! More to look forward to!"

"Hey Mate, did you know that your sister doesn't have any Scotch?" Finn asked walking into the room.

"There's no alcohol here because of my Dad." Logan told him. "All the alcohol that was in this house is across the street at mine to keep Dad from having any. You can survive a few hours."

"See, and here I thought it was because this is a baby party with young children present." Christopher laughed.

"I wish that was the excuse."

"So when do we get to go back to your place then? We'll need to form a sub party."

"Finn, sit your butt down! There is no sub party! This is a party to celebrate Rory and Logan's new baby. You are perfectly capable of being sober for a few hours. Get over yourself!" Stephanie told him.

"Uncle Finn, Uncle Finn! Will you come play with us?!" Lane's twins asked, seeing Finn, and jumping out of their seats to run to him.

"Oh good, my fan club is here! I will see all of you boring adults later on." Finn said with a salute, then took off with the twins.

"Lane, have I told you how much I love your boys?!" Rory asked. "Because they are my favorite people right now!"

"Lane, you and your boys are going to have to come to every party we go to." Stephanie told her. "They are the best Finn babysitters in the world!"

"They've been asking for a new play station." Lane told them. "Zach and I told them that they can ask Santa."

"I guess Santa is coming early then!" Stephanie laughed.

"You guys need to tell Finn to quit buying my kids stuff."

"How about we tell him to give you the credit for all the stuff instead?"

"That works!" Lane agreed.

"Lane, you'll have to get me a list of things that they actually need so I can go shopping for them." Rory told her. "Stephanie, I need a list for Valerie too."

"I'll get you a list this week." Lane told her.

"Valerie wants Minnie Mouse everything. She is completely obsessed!" Stephanie said as she helped her daughter finish eating. "I know we are going to be finding out really soon, but do you have any feelings about what your baby's gender is?"

"I think it's a girl." Logan told them.

"You do?" Rory asked.

"I just have a feeling. It's tradition in your family."

"But what if it's a boy?" Lane asked.

"Gilmores don't have boys." Christopher laughed. "That just doesn't happen!"

"Then how did we get Grandpa?" Rory asked.

"Please, your Grandfather has 6 sisters. Out of 7 kids, there was bound to be at least one boy. But he's the only one in the family."

"Rory, what do you think you're having?" Stephanie asked.

"You know, I haven't really thought about it . . . I'm kind of still getting used to the idea of being pregnant."

"You don't have any feelings one way or another?"

"No, not so much. I'll be happy with a healthy baby. But I will say that I know absolutely nothing about boys, so at least if we have a girl, I'll kind of know something about what I'm doing."

"Girls are so much fun! I love having a little mini me! Valerie has Collin wrapped around her little finger. I'm sure your baby will be the same with Logan."

"He kind of already is." Rory told her. "Logan is the most excited that I've ever seen him. It's adorable!"

"You hear that Man? You've been called adorable!" Collin told him. "Are you gonna take that?!"

"Eh, I've been called worse things!" Logan told him.

"I hope you guys have a boy. We need more testosterone in this group. There are way too many women!"

"What?! There is literally just me and Stephanie with you, Logan, Robert and Finn!" Rory told him.

"Speaking of Robert, where is he?" Logan asked.

"He's out of town at his sister's house in Virginia." Collin told them. "Poor guy is surrounded by women until tomorrow night when he gets go to home."

"Doesn't he have 5 sisters?" Rory asked.

"He does. And they're all crazy!" Stephanie told her. "Every time Robert has to go to a family event, he uses us as an emergency out. Collin has had to go pick him up from their family gatherings several times."

"We all have." Logan told her. "Robert's family makes mine look almost sane."

"Yikes, poor guy!" Rory commented.

"We've all told him to stop going, but the guy is a glutton for punishment." Stephanie told her.


	32. Chapter 32

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

I hope this update finds everybody healthy and happy. We are currently safe from COVID-19. We are currently self quarantined in our home. The schools are all closed here, which means that I am home all day with two autistic kids, until further notice. We are on day 4 of our family lock down, and actually doing ok. I am starting to panic a little bit because Walmart just canceled their grocery pick up program until further notice, so it makes getting groceries harder. We are still stocked up, so we will survive, I'm not looking forward to having to go into a store for milk this week.

If anyone has kids and needs help with finding some educational materials to keep them learning while the schools are closed, there is a list on facebook of all the companies providing free learning memberships for their apps and programs, including ABC Mouse. If anyone needs a copy of that list, feel free to let me know and I can get it to you. If any of you are sick, I wish you a speedy recovery, and I urge you all to reach out to your local resources for any help that you may need. Many school districts, and local businesses are providing free lunches to students in need, no questions asked. Just hang in there, and keep up with the the great hygiene and obsessively washing your hands. And most importantly, have a plan for your family. We are a family of asthmatics, and have a plan in place just in case one of us starts getting sick. We are doing our best to stay healthy, I hope that you are all doing the same. Have a great weekend, and I'll update as much as I can to help keep you all entertained.

Fanfiction seems to me messing up the formatting, so I apologize for that. I am trying to figure out a solution

* * *

"So you want to hear ridiculous?" Honor asked crouching down next to her brother as he sat talking to friends.

"What's up?" Logan asked.

"Mom just went to bed."

"You're serious?!"

"I tried to get her to wait until after we find out the baby's gender and she told me that Dad or I could tell her later."

"I should go yell at her."

"Normally I would let you, but this is your party, and I want you to enjoy it. Let me handle mom this time."

"She hasn't even talked to me since you brought them to see the house earlier, and even then they didn't really say anything. Dad snapped at me for not letting them see the house sooner and mom said exactly 4 words to Rory in that snidely fake tone she uses. I immediately snapped at them, and told them that they can either respect my wife, or get the hell out of house and out of our lives. Obviously we know which choice Mom decided to make."

"It's fine. Just ignore her. Don't let Mom get to you. I heard that Donna asked to be an honorary Grandma to your baby."

"She did. It was very kind of her. It means a lot to both of us."

"Donna is amazing. She spoils her grand kids like crazy."

"I know, I've seen it. I really like her."

"Donna adores you. So forget about mom and Dad. You've got Donna and Grayson, and they are so much better than our selfish parents."

"Do you think we should tell Rory?"

"No. You can tell her when you get home. We don't need to ruin her night. I'm going to kick mom to the curb first thing in the morning. I have to take Dad back to rehab anyway, so I'll rip into her first."

"You could just kick her out tonight."

"I could, bu there are too many witnesses. I don't really want an audience for her crap."

"You shouldn't have to deal with their crap while you're pregnant."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I have over 30 years of experience in dealing with Mom. Tonight is about you and Rory. You need to just focus on being happy and enjoying yourselves."

"I'm doing my best. But this crap irritates me."

"I know it does. But I've got your back no matter what. Everything is going to be just fine. I promise!"

"Thanks Honor. For everything. I'm really excited that you're finally pregnant. I know how much you've been wanting this."

"Hey, I'm just excited to be pregnant with Rory. This is going to be so much fun!"

"I know I don't tell you this nearly as much as I should, but I love you. You're an amazing big sister."

"I love you too baby brother." Honor said hugging her brother. "Why don't you go find Rory, and I'll track down Paris, and see if I can get her to tell us what your baby is."

"I like that idea. Thanks Honor." Logan said as he got up from his seat and went in search of his wife, finding her in the kitchen a couple minutes later. "Hey Ace, are you having a good time?"

"I am. I am stuffing my face with all this amazing food. Sookie is my favorite person in the world right now!"

"Don't worry Sweetie, there is a big stash of all of this stuff in your fridge across the street. I made plenty! And whatever is left after tonight, you'll get all of that too." Sookie told her.

"Have I told you lately that I love you?" Rory asked.

"I love you too Honey! I am so excited that you are having a little baby of your own! You'll need to come visit a lot more so I can get all my snuggles in."

"The same goes for you lady! We have plenty of space. You come up any time you want."

"I'll make you a deal, when you go into labor, I will come up for a week, and do all your cooking."

"Deal! You may have to fight Luke for all of the cooking, but you definitely need to come up."

"We miss having you around the Hollow all the time. Maybe your mom and I need to start insisting on Friday night dinners or something."

"You know, that is actually not such a bad idea. Maybe we could come down every other weekend." Logan agreed.

"Wait, what? You would do that?" Lorelai asked.

"I think we could make it work. What do you think Ace?"

"Let's do it! But let's not tell Paris. I don't need her telling me that I can't travel by car for 2 hours." Rory told them.

"We could always take the train. I work weekends at the hospital, but I could always come back for work."

"Actually, Honey, Sookie and I were just talking about something that might work better for us. I don't know if it is even possible, but I actually really like the idea."

"Which is?" Logan asked.

"I have a friend who works for a big company with a ton of employees, and they have an on-site doctor. They have a day care too. But this on-site doctor is extremely discounted for only employees of that company. Normal doctor co-pays are around $20 or more, but with the company insurance policy, the employees can all see that specific doctor at his office in the same building, for like $5. And that doctor is available to employees and their families only. And the doctor is contracted through a local hospital, so that if one of the employees ends up needing the be admitted, the doctor can still go over to the hospital to treat them there. I don't know if that is something that you guys would be able to do, but I loved the concept. And it would make your schedule a lot easier. You would be in the office and still able to do whatever work you need with Rory, and then your employees can set up a time to see you, right from their computers, and you could see them right there either on or off the clock, however you choose to set things up. That way the employees can take like 20 minutes out of their day to see a doctor and not have it be an all-day event. And being a smaller, more private practice, you can get patients in quicker than at other doctors. All you would really need is just you and maybe a nurse to run the small in office clinic. And it could be all yours instead of you having to work in the ER and always be inside the hospital. You would still be a hospital employee, but you would be working your own hours, and running your own office."

"You know, I actually really like that idea!" Logan told her.

"I do too." Rory told him. "And technically with me being the CEO, I've already signed off on it. So if we wanted to do it, all we would really need to do, is talk to the hospital and then HPG insurance company and if we could get their approval and help, we could totally pull it off."

"It works great for my friend. She loves that doctor! There aren't any sick people sitting in the waiting room. She walks in the door and is seeing the doctor within two minutes. I'm actually pretty jealous."

"I can see it being extremely beneficial for the hospital. I'll have to talk to the chief of staff and the board, but I definitely think that we can pull it off. There are several hundred HPG employees just in New York City, and we could also bring in employees from surrounding cities within a few hours commute. That is a ton of extra patients for the hospital that could easily choose to go elsewhere. It's definitely a win win situation. I'll see if I can talk to the chief of staff tomorrow to see if we can maybe set up a meeting to discuss things. Thanks for the idea Sookie! You're a genius!"

"Why thank you!" Sookie smiled.

"Hey Paris!" Lorelai called across the kitchen when she saw Paris walk into the room. "When do I get to find out the gender of my grand baby?"

"As soon as I find your daughter." Paris called back.

"She's right here, stuffing her face."

"That's awesome! Let's go then!" Paris said waving for her friends to follow her.

"Come on come on!" Lorelai said excitedly, grabbing Rory's arm and pulling her out of the room.

"Hey Everyone, can we have your attention please?!" Paris yelled as she let Rory and Logan into the middle of Honor's crowded living room. "Who wants to know the gender of this baby?!"

"ME!" Lorelai yelled, causing everyone to laugh.

"Alright, let's do this! Doyle, would you mind getting me the box?"

"There had better not be any explosives in there." Logan said as Doyle set a large box down in front of them.

"No promises, Huntzberger!" Paris laughed. "Alright, is everybody ready?"

"Yes!" everyone yelled.

"Alright then. Go for it!" Paris told them.

Rory looked up at Logan for a moment then started ripping the wrapping paper off of the large box. Before they knew it a bunch of purple and green balloons started floating into the air in front of them, followed by a large silver Mylar balloon with pink writing that read "It's a GIRL".

"Logan!" Rory squealed, grabbing his shirt as Logan crashed his lips into hers.

"IT'S A GIRL!" Lorelai yelled above all the noise. "WE HAVE ANOTHER GILMORE GIRL!"

"Are you ready for another Gilmore girl?" Rory asked when she finally broke her kiss with Logan.

"I cannot wait!" Logan smiled, then kissed her again.

"Alright, break it up!" Paris told them.

"What do you want Paris?" Logan asked.

"Nothing. You're just grossing me out."

"Hey Kiddo, congratulations!" Christopher said stepping up in front of Rory and hugging his daughter.

"Thanks Dad!"

"Rory!"

"Oh my gosh! April!" Rory said as she let go of Christopher, and looked up to see her sister heading her way.

"Rory, congratulations!"

"Thanks April!" Rory said hugging her younger sister. "When did you get here? I haven't seen you in forever!"

"I know, I'm so sorry we're late! My flight was late getting in, and then there was a ton of traffic getting here from the airport."

"I am so glad you are here! Thank you so much for coming out this weekend!"

"I am so glad to finally be here. I had no idea that you are pregnant, but here I am, and you're having a girl. I am so excited for you!"

"Can you believe it, another girl in the family?!"

"It's completely crazy!"

"Gigi!" Rory yelled across the room. "Gigi, come here for a minute! Hey Logan, would you mind taking a picture of me with both of my sisters? I don't have one of the three of us at all."

"Oh, of course!" Logan agreed pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"Gigi, come here, I need a picture with my sisters." Rory told her.

"Hey April! I didn't know that you were here." Gigi said as she approached the group.

"Oh my gosh, G! How are you?!" April asked giving her a hug.

"I'm good! Long time, no see!"

"Ok girls, smile!" Logan told them, then snapped a picture.

"Logan, go stand with the girls, I'll get a picture of all four of you." Christopher said reaching for Logan's phone.

"Thanks Dad!" Rory said as Logan slid in next to her, sliding one arm around Rory, reaching for April, and his other arm around Gigi.

"Alright, everyone say Cheeze Wiz!" Christopher told them. "Perfect! Logan, will you send me these?"

"I will!" Logan agreed, taking his phone back.

"April, you are staying with us tonight, right?" Rory asked.

"I believe so." April told her

"Dad, can Gigi stay with us too?" Rory asked. "We can have a sisters slumber party."

"Sure, if she wants to!" Christopher agreed.

"Awesome! Thanks Daddy!" Gigi said excitedly.

"Yay! I am so excited! Logan has to actually go to bed at a decent hour because he has to work really early, and you know that Luke will turn in early, so it'll just be us and Mom."

"Score! Junk food city!" April told them.

"Yes!" Rory agreed. "I am totally excited! I never get to see both of you at the same time."

"Rory, you're having a girl!" Honor said hurrying over to Rory, and throwing her arms around her. "I am so excited for you!"

"I am too! Honor, this is my little sister Gigi, and my other sister April. Girls, this is Logan's sister Honor." Rory said introducing everyone.

"Hey Honor! It is so good to meet you! You should come to our slumber party tonight!" April told her.

"Yes!" Gigi agreed.

"You're having a slumber party?" Honor asked.

"We are! April and Gigi are both staying with us tonight. We are having a sisters slumber party! You should totally come hang out after you are finished with the parentals." Rory told her.

"That would be so fun! I'll talk to Josh about it."

"April, Honor is pregnant too."

"No way?! Congratulations! That is so cool! You should totally come hang out with us, it's a sisters party. You're Rory's new sister, so that makes you mine and G's sister too." April told her.

"Awww, you are so sweet! I've always wanted a little sister!"

"Well now you have 3!" Gigi told her.

"Rory, I love them! They're so sweet!" Honor gushed.

"Joy, I'm gonna be surrounded by women tonight!" Logan laughed.

"Oh come on Logan, look how pretty they are!" Christopher told him.

"Eh!" Logan said with a shrug.

"Oh hush! You'll be asleep anyway!" Honor told him. "Don't you work at 6am?"

"Something like that."

"Congratulations Rory!" Lane said stepping up to the gang. "April! How are you?!"

"Thanks Lane!" Rory said as she hugged her best friend.

"Hey Lane! I'm doing great, how are you? How are your boys?" April asked.

"I'm good! The boys are wild as always. They're here somewhere."

"They're down in the game room with Collin and Finn." Honor told her.

"Is that safe?" Rory asked looking at Logan.

"I think Stephanie and the baby are down there too."

"Well at least they all have a babysitter then." Rory laughed.

"I'm sure Zach is down there too." Lane assured her.

"I'll go check on them. Knowing Finn, they're all getting into my stuff that is still down there."

"Your toys are safe Logan. I had Josh move it all to your basement earlier today." Honor told him.

"Big sister to the rescue!" Logan laughed. "I'll head down there anyway. Just to make sure they aren't trying to blow up your house."

"Actually, come here for a minute." Honor said beckoning for Logan to follow her.

"Rory, congratulations Honey!" Richard said approaching his granddaughter, with Emily next to him.

"Thank you Grandpa!" Rory smiled.

"Gigi, April, it is great to see you two!"

"Grandpa Richard! How are you?" Gigi asked giving him a hug.

"I'm doing great Honey, how are you?"

"How are you Emily? It's been a really long time!" April said giving Emily a quick hug.

"Yes it has. You look wonderful!"

"Thank you so much!"

"When is the last time the three of you were all in the same room together?" Richard asked.

"I think that has only happened once, and it was by accident, while I was still in college." Rory answered.

"We should get a picture of you guys together." Emily told them.

"We actually just did. We got one with Logan too."

"Oh good! It's a shame you guys don't get to see each other more."

"It is, but G and I are still in school, and Rory is busy doing her own thing. Life happens." April explained. "I'll have more time once I finish school. I've only got a few months left."

_**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Scene 2 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**_

"What's going on?" Logan asked as Honor pulled him into the garage.

"Dad asked me to tell you that he's going to bed."

"He couldn't come say goodbye to me himself? Since when is Dad a coward?"

"Something weird is going on." Honor told him.

"Do you think that Dad is feeling ok?"

"I don't know, he hasn't said anything."

"Do you think that I should go talk to him? See if he'll let me check him out?"

"It might not be a bad idea. But please don't start yelling at mom with all these people here."

"What if I took Paris upstairs with me?"

"That is probably a good idea." Honor told him.

"Ok, I'll be back." Logan said heading back into the house to find Paris, then head upstairs.

_**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Scene 3 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**_

"Hey Dad? It's Logan, can I come in?" Logan asked, knocking on the door of the room his parents were sharing. "Dad? Are you in there? . . . I'm coming in, ok?" Logan slowly opened the door, and seeing the lights on, he looked around the room, searching for his Dad. "Dad?" He called again, beckoning Paris to follow him in when he saw his mother asleep in bed with an eye mask on her face and ear plugs in her ears. "I'm gonna go check the bathroom." Logan told her, heading for the bathroom. "Dad? Are you in here?" Logan asked tapping on the bathroom door before opening it to see his Dad hunched over the sink. "Dad, I've been calling for you. Is everything ok?" When Mitchum didn't answer, Logan moved closer, and reached for his Dad's wrist to check his pulse. "Shit! Paris, call 911. He's having another heart attack." Logan quickly said, moving around his dad. "Come on Dad, let's sit down." he said hooking his arms under Mitchum's and helping him to a seated position on the floor, propping him up against the wall, then reaching for his phone, and quickly hitting the speed dial button for Honor.

"Logan, I don't remember the address here." Paris said as she dialed her phone.

"You dial, I'll give them the info." Logan told her.

"911 emergency, what is the nature of your call?" the dispatcher asked

"12504 Richardson Lane, 67 year old male, Myocardial Infarction, prior event about 6 weeks ago, recovering from bypass surgery. I need an ambulance to Columbia Presbyterian as fast as I can get there."

"Symptoms?"

"High pulse, clammy, weakness, unable to speak. We are in an upstairs bathroom. There is a party at the house, so the driveway and street maybe be full of cars. We are at the very end of the street, white house on the right. I'll send someone down to wait at the door." Logan said nodding to Paris.

"Is there a doctor we can have paged for you?"

"His doctors are myself and Doctor Levan, both at Columbia."

"And who are you?" The dispatcher asked.

"Doctor Logan Huntzberger. Do you need you license number?"

"Yes, please."

"127913959"

"Thank you Doctor Huntzberger, your ambulance is about 3 miles out. Is the patient stable?"

"Definitely not. His eyes are glassy, and he is very weak. I have no idea what he's eaten tonight, and I don't have my medical equipment with me."

"Logan, what's going on?" Honor asked, hurrying into the room with Rory right behind her.

"Dad is having a heart attack. Ambulance is on its way." Logan told them.

"Doctor Huntzberger, has the patient traveled at all lately?"

"He has been at a rehabilitation center in Malibu California for the last few weeks, and just flew back to New York Wednesday night. He is supposed to fly back to California tomorrow afternoon. I haven't been around him much since he's been back, but he was fine when I saw him a few hours ago."

"He's seemed fine the last few days." Honor told him.

"The ambulance is on your street, do the paramedics have permission to enter the residence?"

"Yes, of course!" Logan answered. "Ace, I'm going with him in the ambulance. You stay and enjoy the rest of the party. I'll call you with updates."

"I can follow the ambulance with Honor."

"Absolutely not! This party is for you. Your family is here. You go home and enjoy your time with your Mom and sisters. I promise to call you, ok?"

"Doctor Huntzberger, the paramedics are entering the residence. Is there anything else that I can help you with?"

"No, thank you so much. Just have the hospital let Doctor Levan know that I am on my way with the patient, and that the patient is my father."

"Will do. Thank you for calling Manhattan E-911." the dispather said as she disconnected the call.

"Rory, this is Paris' phone." Logan said handing the phone to his wife, then reaching to grab his own phone off the bathroom counter. "Please enjoy the rest of the party, then go home and have fun with your mom and sisters, ok?"

"Logan, I can come with Honor."

"No Rory. You never get to see your sisters. There isn't anything that you can do at the hospital. Please stay. I want you to enjoy the rest of the night." Logan told her as the paramedics entered the bathroom.

"Doctor Huntzberger, it's nice to see you again." one of the medics said as he squatted down next to Logan and began to assess his vitals.

"Sorry Stan, I don't have my equipment with me tonight, and it would have taken way too long to go get it."

"Are you coming with us?"

"Yes, of course." Logan answered. "This is my Dad."

"Good. Stretcher please?" Stan asked the other two men who were with him. "Patient is experiencing tachycardia. We need to go NOW!"

"Let's load him up." one of the other men said as Logan stepped out of the way to allow the paramedics to get Mitchum loaded on to the stretcher.

"You go back to the party, ok? I promise to call you as soon as I have information. I love you." Logan said kissing Rory, then kissing his hand and gently pressing it to her stomach. "Have a good night with your sisters."

"I love you too." Rory said stepping aside as the paramedics raised the stretcher, then started to move Mitchum out of the room.


	33. Chapter 33

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

I hope this update finds everybody healthy and happy. We are currently safe from COVID-19. We are currently self quarantined in our home. The schools are all closed here, which means that I am home all day with two autistic kids, until further notice. We are on day 9 of our family lock down, and doing ok. The entire country is basically shut down at this point, which is interesting to watch from online. Even Amazon isn't doing their regular 2-day Prime delivery on most things anymore. I ordered a new phone charger last night, and it won't be here until Thursday. So that's fun! I hope you are all doing well, and continue to remain healthy.

If anyone has kids and needs help with finding some educational materials to keep them learning while the schools are closed, there is a list on facebook of all the companies providing free learning memberships for their apps and programs, including ABC Mouse. If anyone needs a copy of that list, feel free to let me know and I can get it to you. If any of you are sick, I wish you a speedy recovery, and I urge you all to reach out to your local resources for any help that you may need. Many school districts, and local businesses are providing free lunches to students in need, no questions asked. Just hang in there, and keep up with the the great hygiene and obsessively washing your hands. And most importantly, have a plan for your family. We are a family of asthmatics, and have a plan in place just in case one of us starts getting sick. We are doing our best to stay healthy, I hope that you are all doing the same. Have a great weekend, and I'll update as much as I can to help keep you all entertained.

Fanfiction seems to me messing up the formatting, so I apologize for that. I am trying to figure out a solution

* * *

"Any news?" Lorelai asked a couple hours later, walking into Rory's living room with the left over cake and 4 forks.

"Not yet." Rory answered.

"Was it like this last time?"

"Pretty much. They are probably still running tests. I feel bad about not being there."

"I can't believe Shira slept through the whole thing. All those people coming into the room, and she was just out."

"She probably took a sleeping pill."

"Yeah but realistically, how long had she really been asleep for? Was she even there for the announcement?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know. I didn't see her, but I also wasn't paying attention to what she was doing."

"So Logan's Mother really doesn't like you?" April asked.

"That woman hates me!"

"But why?" Gigi asked. "You are literally the nicest person in the world."

"She's a snob and thinks that I'm not 'good enough' for their family."

"Which is really funny because if you want to talk about being 'trash', Shira is way more trashy than any of us will ever be." Lorelai laughed. "Between the Hayden and Gilmore families, Rory is way more upper class than Shira can ever hope to be. From what I've heard, she is a gold digger from some hick farm town in the middle of nowhere who got a boob job and then went to the big city to slut her way around some bar where she met Mitchum, and she managed to get pregnant knowing that his family would force him to marry her in order to prevent a scandal."

"That is so stupid." April told them.

"Right?!" Rory agreed. "She once referred to is as a difference in 'their' money and the Gilmore money."

"And the Gilmore money is way more elite than the Huntzberger money. The Gilmores go way back to before the Mayflower. The Gilmore family has been around forever! The Huntzbergers are literally newspaper money. Their 'money' is way 'newer' than the Gilmore money. It's just ridiculous!" Lorelai added.

"But what about the Hayden money?" Gigi asked. "I try to stay out of it, but I know our family is loaded and goes back pretty far. The Haydens are a pretty big deal. Some people at my school call me heiress, which is just annoying."

"Well, technically you are honey, but you share that with Rory." Lorelai told her. "Maybe it just comes down to old and new money to that woman, but who knows! The entire things is stupid. Technically, if we were to put both the Gilmore and Hayden money together, you two would have way more than any of the Huntzbergers."

"Why does everything have to be about money?" April asked.

"Trust me, I wish I knew!" Rory agreed. "I wasn't raised with money, and neither was Shira. You would think that she would like me just based on the fact that we have similar upbringings."

"I guess that's why Dad says he hopes that I turn out more like Rory than the spoiled kids that I go to school with." Gigi told them.

"Well your Dad is doing a good job of reigning both on you in. It wasn't like that when you were little. You could have easily turned into one of those entitled brats." Lorelai said as she handed Gigi a fork, and set the cake on the table she had pulled over to the couch. "Rory, April, here are your forks."

"Ok, enough of this drama." Rory told them. "Let's talk about something happy. April, how is school going?"

"It's going great! I am actually graduating soon, with a degree in biological sciences. I was thinking of maybe trying to get a job in a hospital laboratory."

"Where are you looking to go?"

"I don't know. I go back to Connecticut and find a hospital there, or I was thinking of maybe trying somewhere in New York. You're up here, and my parents are only a couple hours away, so I could see you guys all the time if I lived nearby. Or maybe I could go to medical school and become a doctor."

"You should talk to Logan. Maybe he could help you figure things out."

"Dad said that too."

"What about you Gigi? What are you going to do when you finish high school?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know really. I'm only a freshman, so I have plenty of time to figure it out. Maybe I'll go to Yale like Rory."

"You can go anywhere you want to. Don't let anyone tell you that you have to do something that you aren't interested in. You go where you want to go. Don't go to Yale just because I went there. You can go to Harvard if you want to." Rory told her. "Or go to Princeton, or Stanford."

"You can go to clown college if you want to. You do what is best for you." Lorelai told her.

"My mom went to school in Los Angeles." Gigi told them.

"You can do that too. There are some great schools out there. You can become a fashion designer if you want to. You have great style!"

"I was actually thinking about that. There are good schools both in California and in New York."

"Or you could go to school over-seas. Your mom is still in Paris, right? You could go to school out there if you wanted to."

"Yeah, maybe. We'll see what happens. I have 3 more years to figure out what I want to do."

"Here's a fun subject, what should we name Rory's little jelly bean?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes! I love this subject!" April told them. "You can name her Audrey or Elizabeth May."

"What about Roselynn?" Gigi added

"Rory, have you thought of any names yet?" Lorelai asked.

"Not really. Having another Gilmore girl, shouldn't I keep the Lorelai tradition alive?" Rory asked her.

"You can if you want to. You can name your little Princess anything that you want to. If you want to name her after us, you can. But if you want to choose a different name, that is entirely your prerogative. This is your baby." Lorelai said as Rory's phone began to ring.

"It's Logan." Rory said reaching for the phone. "Hi Honey."

"Hey Ace. How is the slumber party going?"

"It's great! I think we might finish off this whole cake though. I hope you didn't want any."

"Actually, there is a piece for him on the counter." Lorelai told her.

"Never mind, mom saved you a piece."

"Tell her thanks for me." Logan smiled.

"Logan says thanks." Rory repeated. "How is your dad doing?"

"It's pretty bad. They are taking him into surgery right now. I just sent Honor home to go to bed, and I'm going to stay here tonight. They need to put stents in, and it looks like there are some pretty severe blockages."

"That sucks! How long is the surgery supposed to take?"

"Several hours, depending on how many complications they run into."

"You should come home and get some sleep. I'm sure Doctor Levan will call you with updates."

"I know, but I need to keep myself busy. I'm going to go help out in the ER while I wait for updates."

"Logan, you haven't slept! It's after midnight and you are supposed to work at 6am. You've been awake for over 19 hours already."

"I know."

"You need to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else. You of all people should know that."

"Ace, I know."

"I'll come get you right now."

"No, Rory. Even if I came home, I wouldn't be able to get any sleep. It's better if I just stay here and keep myself busy in the ER. I'll see if someone can pick up my hours later today so I'm not here for my whole shift."

"Logan, you need to get some rest."

"I can take a nap on the couch in my office if I need it. I want to stay close by in case they need me."

"Ok." Rory sighed in defeat. "Do you need anything? I can come by."

"I'm ok, thank you though. You should go back to your slumber party. I just called to give you an update."

"Are you sure? I really don't mind."

"No, I'm fine. I promise. I'll just see you tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok."

"I love you Ace. Have fun with your mom and sisters, and get some rest. I'm going to go work."

"I love you too." Rory said then heard the call disconnect.

"What's going on?" April asked.

"It's pretty bad. Mitchum is going into surgery and having stents placed. Logan said there are some severe blockages and surgery could take several hours depending on how many complications there are. He's going to stay at the hospital and work while he waits for updates."

"He went in at 6am yesterday and he's supposed to work again at 6am tomorrow." Lorelai told her.

"I know. He said that he would take a nap on the couch in his office if he needs it. He wants to stay nearby."

"That sounds familiar."

"How come every time things are really good, Mitchum goes and has a heart attack? I swear, it's like I'm never allowed to just be happy." Rory said frustratedly.

"Oh trust me, I get it Honey. Your life has been completely turned upside down over the last couple months. But we'll get you through this. Things won't be like this forever." Lorelai told her.

_**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Scene 2 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**_

Columbia Presbyterian Hospital

Manhattan, New York

10am

"Hi, would you mind paging Doctor Hunzberger for me?" Rory asked the lady behind the reception desk after walking through the hospital doors the next morning.

"Is he expecting you?" the woman asked.

"He should be. I'm his wife."

"Just one moment." The lady answered, reaching for her phone.

"Hey Ace." Logan said pulling his wife into a hug a few minutes later. "I am so glad to see you."

"How's your dad?" Rory asked as Logan held onto her, burying his face in her hair.

"He's in the ICU in a medically induced coma."

"How did the surgery go?"

"There was a lot of damage. I have to call the rehab center today."

"Logan, you've been awake for going on 30 hours now. You need to come home and go to bed."

"Trust me, I know. I'm pretty sure my blood type is caffeine right now. I'm surviving on Monster, and I don't even like the stuff." Logan said as he finally let go of Rory.

"Come on, let's get you home."

"I can't, I need to check on a few more patients, then go check in on my dad."

"Logan, you need to come home now. You know this isn't good for you."

"Doctor Huntzberger, how much longer are you here today?" Doctor Levan asked, as he passed through the hallway. "Mrs. Huntzberger, it's nice to see you again."

"Hi Doctor Levan." Rory smiled.

"I'm supposed to be here 6-6." Logan answered.

"He's been awake since 5am yesterday." Rory spoke up, looking straight at Logan. "He worked all night last night just to keep himself busy."

"Go home Logan."

"I can't, I'm scheduled until 6."

"Go home. I'll take care of it. I'm pulling rank. You aren't any good to us when you are exhausted. You have plenty of sick time as well as FMLA available. You need to go home. When is your next shift?"

"Not until Thursday."

"If you need the time off, please take it. You have a lot going on right now."

"My wife is pregnant, and my dad just had a second heart attack in a month. What would you do in my situation?" Logan asked.

"Probably the same thing you are. Go home Logan. You and I will talk tomorrow after you've gotten some rest. I'll call your Dad's rehab center myself, and I'll let you know if there are any updates."

"Thank you Doctor Levan." Rory smiled. "Come on Babe. Let's get you home."

"I need to go check on my Dad one more time." Logan told her.

"Logan, there haven't been any changes. He is in a medically induced coma. You know as well as I do, what that means. Go home. We'll talk tomorrow." Doctor Levan told him.

"Ok." Logan finally sighed. "I need to go shower."

"Get him home. I'll clock him out and check in on you guys later." Doctor Levan said, then turned and walked away.

"Are you hungry?" Logan asked.

"Luke is making an early lunch. Let's just go home. You can shower there." Rory said, reaching for Logan's hand, and leading him toward the hospital doors.

_**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Scene 3 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**_

"How's he doing?" Lorelai asked seeing Rory enter the kitchen a couple of hours later.

"He's finally asleep."

"Is everything ok?"

"It will be. But I think I could use your help with something."

"You name it, I'm there."

"Will you come talk to Shira with me?"

"The Dragon Lady?! What in the world do you want to talk to her about?!"

"Shira wasn't there last night."

"Oh really?!"

"Logan's parents didn't say a single word to us after we announced that we are having a baby. We saw them talking to Honor after Paris announced that she is pregnant too, but they didn't even look at us. Logan is pretending that he's ok with it, but he's taking it really hard. And now Mitchum is in a coma following a second heart attack. Our lives have been completely turned upside down because of the two of them. I don't give a damn that Shira doesn't like me. But right now, the way she is acting is completely killing my husband. Neither her or Mitchum support Logan's career. They don't want him being a doctor. And I almost feel like they are purposely acting this way because they think that it will manipulate Logan into doing things their way."

"You think that they are purposely doing things to cause Mitchum to have a heart attack because they think that it will force Logan to go running back to their family."

"I don't think it's both of them. It think it's Shira. Mitchum was doing really well at the rehab center."

"Shira realizes that Mitchum could die, right?!"

"Hold on, I need to make a call." Rory said, pulling a phone from her pocket.

"Who are you calling?" Lorelai asked.

"Mitchum's doctor." Rory said as she dialed.

"Doctor Huntzberger, I thought I told you to go home and go to bed." Dr. Levan said as he answered his phone.

"Actually, it's Rory. Logan is asleep. I have a question for you."

"What can I do for you Mrs. Huntzberger?"

"This might sound a little weird, but did you by any chance take any blood from Mitchum last night that is still sitting around waiting for testing?"

"I'm sure there are a couple vials that haven't been processed yet. Why do you ask?"

"Can you by any chance run a toxicology test with everything else that you are already testing for?"

"I suppose we could do that. Do you have reason to suspect there is a problem?"

"I can't prove anything right now, but let's just say that Logan's family is extremely manipulative. I have reason to believe that someone is purposely doing things to cause Mitchum to be ill. He was doing great at the rehab center, but then he came home for Thanksgiving, and suddenly had another heart attack. I know that there are a lot of different things that can cause heart attacks, but I'm wondering if maybe there was something purposely done, like not taking his medication or something. Something just seems really off right now. Maybe it's pregnancy hormones, but I have my suspicions."

"Ok. I'll look into that, and see what I can find out. But I need to let you know that if someone is purposely sabotaging a patient, they can be criminally charged. And in a case like this, it would be attempted murder. That is a very serious allegation."

"I know. Which is exactly why I wanted to bring this to you. I'm going to go talk to Logan's sister and mother about it right now, and I'll talk to Logan when he wakes up. But I wanted to see if you could check Mitchum's blood work before whatever is in his system gets completely flushed out."

"Alright. I will go look into this right now, and get back to you when I have information."

"Thank you Doctor Levan. I'll let you know if I find anything out on my end." Rory said, then disconnected the call.

"There's my favorite little reporter!" Lorelai smiled. "It's been a while since I've seen her."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's been a long time since I've seen you this excited about something. It's been a while since you've had a big story to work on."

"Mom, I have a lot on my plate lately."

"I know you do. But I also see that your face is completely lit up right now, so I want to help. What can I do?"

"Come with me to talk to Shira. I know Honor will be on my side once I tell her what's going on, but I need a witness just in case Shira tries to kill me or something."

"You don't think that Honor will go with you?"

"No, of course she'll go with me. But I could use your input on this one."

"When do you want to go over?"

"Are you ready right now?"

"Lead the way!" Lorelai told her.

"Where are Luke and April?"

"Walking your dog. I think they went to Central Park. Luke has never been there, so April wanted to take him out while we're here."

"That sounds fun! They'll have a great time!" Rory said as they headed out the door and across the street to Honor's house.

"It's too bad your Dad and Gigi had to leave this morning. It would have been fun to do something with your sisters today."

"Yeah, but there's always next time. Christmas is coming up in a few weeks. Maybe we can all go ice skating at Rockefeller Plaza or something.

"Yes! Let's do that! We should go on Christmas eve."

"I might not be allowed to skate though, now that I think about it."

"Let's go see a show or something then."

"I like it! I'll see what is playing while everyone is here. Logan has to work both Christmas eve and Christmas Day, but he asked for Christmas eve night and Christmas morning off."

"It sucks that he has to work on holidays!" Lorelai told her as they knocked on Honor's front door.

"Yeah, but that is what I signed up for when I married a doctor."

"Is it weird to think that you're married to a doctor?"

"Sometimes. But it's Logan. I honestly don't even think about his job most of the time, unless someone asks me what he does for a living. To me, he's just Logan."

"Hey you two! Come on in! What brings you over?" Honor asked opening the door to see Lorelai and Rory.

"Is Shira still here?" Rory whispered and saw Honor nod and roll her eyes. "Are you busy or can we talk for a minute?"

"Yeah, of course! Have you eaten lunch? Let's go to the kitchen. She's outside smoking. At least we can keep an eye on her through the window. What's going on?"

"Detective Rory is on the case." Lorelai told her.

"Who are we investigating?" Honor asked leading the women to the kitchen.

"Her." Rory answered.

"Fill me in?

"I don't have anything to go off of yet, but I'm working on getting it. I talked to Doctor Levan this morning, he's your Dad's surgeon. I have him running a toxicology panel on some on the blood they drew last night. Something isn't making sense. Mitchum was doing great out in Malibu, but then he comes back here, and 3 days later has another heart attack. That just seems weird to me. And it was a really big one. Your Dad is in a medically induced coma, and there were a lot of surgical complications."

"Logan said there were several blockages."

"He could have died. I'm not the biggest fan of your parents, but I don't wish death on anyone." Rory told her. "It just doesn't make sense that Mitchum would be doing so well at the rehab center, then come back here and suddenly almost die from a massive heart attack."

"I was thinking that myself." Honor agreed.

"Maybe it's the journalist in me, or maybe it's the pregnancy hormones, but I feel like we are missing something. Something had to have triggered this heart attack, and I want to know what it was."

"And it's not like we can really get answers from Dad, because he's unconscious!"

"I need to talk to Logan about all of this after he wakes up, but I wanted to talk to you, and then deal with Shira."

"Do you suspect she's sabbotaging him?"

"I don't want to accuse her without evidence, but your family is known for their manipulation. It wouldn't exactly surprise me if your parents were pulling some kind of crap to try to manipulate Logan into doing what they want him to."

"Not like they haven't tried that before."

"Exactly! They have a history! Your mom wasn't there last night when we announced that the baby is a girl."

"She went to bed and took a sleeping pill, which is how all those people were able to be in and out of the room without her waking up." Honor told them.

"She hasn't said a single word to us since your parents came to see the house."

"I know. Logan is pretty pissed off. He wanted to confront her last night, but I wouldn't let him."

"What is her problem?" Lorelai asked.

"I honestly don't even know! She asked me what the baby is this morning, and I played stupid and told her that I won't know what my baby is for several more weeks. I won't even discuss your baby with her. She'll have to talk to you and Logan to get that information. I'm not going to play her stupid game."

"Do you by any chance know where your Dad's medication is?" Rory asked.

"They're right here." Honor said turning to the cabinet next to her refrigerator.

"Can I see them?"

"Sure." Honor said handing the bottles to Rory.

"These are filled monthly, and he takes two a day. If he got them a week ago, he should have 46 pills left. Mom, will you count these?" Rory asked.

"Sure."

"Honor, who gives your Dad his pills while he's been here?"

"Mom and I have been doing it."

"Are you sure he's been taking them?"

"He has when I'm the one giving them to him."

"I'm guessing no one has been babysitting Shira to make sure Mitchum gets his pills."

"I honestly didn't think it was needed. Mom offered to do it the other day when I was on the phone, so I've been letting her help out."

"I don't fault you for that at all, I know how busy you've been with the party, Thanksgiving with Josh's family, and with helping us. I honestly don't know how you get so much done every day."

"Caffeine and very little sleep." Honor chuckled.

"This bottle has 52 pills in it." Lorelai told them.

"Which means that Dad has missed 6 doses. That is 3 days of medication. Two of those doses can be excused by last night and this morning, but that is still 4 extra pills. Damn it, Mother!" Honor said getting upset, and reaching for one of the other bottles. Both Rory and Honor quickly opened the other two medication bottles and counted the pills as quickly as they could.

"I got 54." Rory announced.

"I got 50 . . ." Honor told her. "What the hell?! How are we all getting different numbers?"

"Let's trade." Lorelai told her, swapping the bottles, giving Rory the bottle that Honor had, and taking the other bottle for herself, handing Honor the original bottle that she had first counted.

"I got 50 . . ." Rory said pulling her phone out of her back pocket and snapping a picture of the label on the medication bottle, then labeling it in her phone with the number 50.

"I got 52." Honor told her. Again, Rory snapped a picture of the label on the bottle and labeled it with the number of pills inside.

"54 in this one." Lorelai told them, then watched as Rory snapped and labeled another picture.

"How the hell do we have different numbers?!" Honor asked angerly.

"I want to say that your dad isn't getting his medication, but I'm also thinking that maybe he's getting it, but in the wrong dose. He's supposed to get each of these twice a day, so maybe your mom was giving him 3 pills, but not the correct ones?"

"Even with giving him the wrong medications, there are still too many pills in each bottle, so he is definitely missing doses." Lorelai told them.

"Honor, can I take these home to Logan?" Rory asked. "I want him to count them when he wakes up."

"Yeah, of course. I'll put them in a bag for you." Honor said moving through her kitchen to find a bag for Rory.

"So what's the plan other than telling Logan?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm not quite sure yet." Rory told her.

"Do you still want to confront Shira?"

"Oh, I definitely want to confront her, but maybe not about this just yet."

"I'm ready to rip into her." Honor told them.

"I want to wait to talk to Logan about the medication, and see what the tests say before confronting Shira about all of this." Rory told them. "However, there are quite a few other things that need to be said at this moment."

"Just one second." Honor said as she set the bag of pills on the counter, then walked across the kitchen to the back door, opening it and stepping outside. "Mother, would you mind coming inside for a moment, please?"

"Honor Honey, it is such a nice day out, don't you think?" Shira asked as she turned toward the house, and saw through the window who was inside. "Honor? What are they doing here?"

"Come inside Mom." Honor told her.

"Please tell me they are leaving soon."

"Come on inside. We need to have little chat."

"Oh Honor, don't be so dramatic." Shira said rolling her eyes as she stepped past her daughter into the house. "I'll just be a moment, I'm going to run upstairs to clean up."

"No Mom, you aren't! Sit down!" Honor said sternly, closing the door, and pulling out a chair at the small table in the corner of the kitchen, by the window.

"Honor, watch your tone! This may be your home, but I am still your mother!" Shira snapped.

"SIT!" Honor said in a louder, more frustrated voice, then heard Lorelai suddenly cough to cover up a laugh that had managed to slip from her mouth as Rory quickly elbowed her.

"What in the world is going on?!" Shira asked, finally sitting down at the table as she was directed.

"Mother, Rory has something that she would like to talk to you about." Honor said as she took a seat next to her mother, and motioned toward the other side of the table for Rory and Lorelai. "Would you two like to sit?"

"Thank you Honor, you are so kind." Lorelai said taking a seat at the table, but Rory didn't move from where she was standing by the large island. "Rory, Honey why don't you come sit down." Lorelai told her. "There is a chair right here for you."

"I'll stand, thank you." Rory told her.

"Whatever is this little pow wow about?" Shira asked in a sickeningly sweet voice, looking at her own daughter.

"Oh Mother, you know exactly what this is about! You and I have had a conversation about this many times." Honor answered in her own sickeningly sweet, mocking voice.

"Honor, that was very disrespectful. I raised you better than this."

"You mean the nannies raised me better!" Honor snapped.

"Honor! I won't sit here and allow you to speak to me like this!" Shira said getting angry.

"Oh but you can sit here in MY house and treat Rory and Logan like this? Really?! How does it feel mother? Do you like being disrespected and snapped at? Do you like being treated like a child, and told what to do?"

"Honor Elaine! You stop this nonsense right now!"

"But Mother, this is exactly how you treat Rory. This is how you've treated her since the day you met her! And she has done absolutely nothing to even deserve it, except for love your son. And I won't even mention the craptastic way that you continuously treat Logan! You treat people like trash, but then you have the nerve to get upset if anyone dares to be less than cordial to you. Well welcome to the real world Mother! Because we are DONE with your crap!" Honor told her. "This is MY house! Rory is my sister now, and I happen to really like her! So you either start treating her with the respect that she deserves, or you won't ever be welcome back here, do you understand me?!"

"Honor, you watch your tone!"

"Shira! You watch your tone! This isn't your house!" Josh said entering the kitchen after hearing the loud voices echoing through the house. "You don't get to speak to my wife like that! I won't allow it! Hi Rory, hey Lorelai." he smiled, giving Rory a quick hug, then walking over to hug Lorelai.

"Hey Josh!" Lorelai smiled.

"What's going on in here? Would you ladies like a drink?" Josh asked.

"No thank you." Rory answered. "We aren't staying very long. We just came by to have a little chat if you would like to join us."

"Sounds ominous?"

"Mother, Rory has something to say to you." Honor told her. "Rory, why don't you go ahead."

"Shira, I just wanted to let you know that you really upset your son last night. Logan has spent his entire life bending over backwards, trying to make you proud. He's gone out of his way, giving up everything he has ever cared about, all in a pitiful effort to appease you. Yet no matter what he does, nothing is ever good enough. For 20 years he killed himself to do exactly what you wanted him to. But then he met me, and from the second he brought me into your home, you attacked me. You didn't even know me, yet you attacked me. I have never once done a single thing to deserve such blatant disrespect. The only thing that I have EVER done to you, if anything, is to love your son. I have loved him, and I have been there for him through so much. And you know what? Not once have you ever been there. You couldn't even be bothered to show up to Logan's graduation from medical school! Logan is a doctor, and you are ashamed of him! Who the hell is ashamed of their son becoming a doctor?! And do you know WHY Logan became a doctor? Because he was sick of killing himself to be something that he isn't. Because he was sick of trying to be who you wanted him to, and he wanted to do something, and be something that he is proud of. Logan and I may have only gotten back together a couple of months ago, but I am so damn proud of him, that I could cry! Had I known that Logan went to medical school, and that he was graduating, I would have been there! Do you know why I would have been there? Because regardless of the fact that Logan and I weren't together at the time, the fact remains that Logan did something incredible. Logan defied the odds and went to medical school. And not only did he go, but he graduated with a double major. And he did it all without you! You refused to help him with the tuition and books, you refused to support his decision. You refused to be a decent parent to him, and support his dream. So do you know who paid for Logan to go to school? Honor and Josh did! Because they love him. Because they respect and support him. Because they want the best for him. Just like I do. Heck, even my mom is proud of Logan for becoming a doctor, and my mom hated Logan for the first several years that she knew him. However, even though my mom was less than thrilled about me dating Logan, never once did she ever disrespect him. Never once was my mom not nice to him. Never once did she say a single negative thing to him. Never once did my mom ever say a single bad thing about Logan to his face. You know why? Because my mom is a much better person than you can ever hope to be! Because my mom loves me, and she respects me. Because my mom cares about my happiness. I could have gone to clown college, and my mom would have still been proud of me. Just like your own daughter, I went to Chilton. But you know what? I graduated with Honors!"

"I didn't even take Honors classes when I was at Chilton, so you've got me beat there." Honor spoke up.

"I graduated with Honors, from one of the toughest schools in the country! And then I went to Yale, where I met your son. I had a 4.0 grade point average, yet in your eyes, I wasn't good enough for your family. I come from a good family. A historic family. TWO historic families! I'm not just a Gilmore, but I'm a Hayden too!" Rory said, digging in her pocket for something, then throwing a card down on the table in front of Shira. "I am a freaking Hayden, Shira! A Hayden! Just that alone makes me WAY richer than you can ever hope to be! And you know that, don't you?! You know exactly who my grandparents are, don't you, Shira?! Do you see what it says right there, on my driver's license? It says Gilmore-Hayden. I come from two amazing upper class families. Yet because I'm not a self-centered gold digging bimbo, you hate me! Because I believe in equality, because I believe in working for what I want, because I don't need a man to take care of me, because I don't want the boring trophy bimbo life that you have, because I actually have a brain and know how to do things for myself, you hate me! But you know what Shira? That's fine. That's just freaking fine! You can go right on ahead and continue to hate me because I don't even care! I won't fight with you. I won't fight with you because you aren't worth it! You are a trashy gold digging bimbo from Hicksville with an iron clad prenup that says that you get absolutely NOTHING other than an allowance from your husband who doesn't even love you. Your husband, who you tricked into knocking you up because you knew that his parents would force him into marrying you. Your husband who can and has cheated on you for the last 35 years. Who doesn't even like you and your ridiculously manipulative ways. Your husband who can't even stand to be around you! But you know what? You made your bed, and now you have to lie in it. Unlike you, I have a husband who actually loves me. I have a husband who might be related to you by blood, but who you were never a mother to. I have a husband who was raised by nannies to be the amazing man that he is. I have a husband who loves me, and supports me. A husband who loves that I work, and who begged me to take over his father's company when he didn't want it even though he is technically the family heir. I have a husband who handed me a multi-million dollar, multi-national company that your husband used to run, before he almost died from a heart attack. Oh wait, let's make that TWO heart attacks! TWO in one month! Did you even know that you husband happens to be in a medically induced coma right now?! Did you know that he almost died last night? And it's ALL thanks to you, Shira! So I hope that you are proud of yourself. I hope that you are proud of the choices that you've made. Because you are the one who has to live with them. So go right ahead and hate me all you want, because I honestly don't give a damn about you. But I do want to tell you one other thing . . . You had better hope that Mitchum doesn't die. Because if he does . . . I promise you, you will NEVER be welcome in my home, or my family's life, EVER again! You know exactly what you did, and as soon as Logan wakes up, he will too." Rory said reaching for her driver's license that remained sitting on the table in front of Shira, where she had thrown it. "Oh, and Shira . . . Just a heads up . . . I've already alerted the hospital about what you've done. You had better hope and pray that those blood tests come back in your favor, because it's a criminal offense to play God with someone else's health." Rory told her, then turned and left the kitchen.


	34. Chapter 34

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

Self Quarantine Day 8

My kids broke a window today! How was your day?

I thought it was day 9 of the quarantine. I clearly have completely lost track of what day it is. I haven't even put on real clothes in a week now. I just change from one set of pajamas to the next. What is the point of getting dressed for the day when you are stuck at home?

I hope this update finds everybody healthy and happy. We are currently safe from COVID-19. We are currently self quarantined in our home. The schools are all closed here, which means that I am home all day with two autistic kids, until further notice. The entire country is basically shut down at this point, which is interesting to watch from online. Luckily for my family, this complete shutdown of life isn't really hurting us at all. Other than being trapped in our house, nothing has changed. My husband still goes to work, but now gets to run all of the errands too, while I stay home with the kids. It's great fun being stuck at home. I am sick of watching tv, and sick of every game on my phone. But I now have to home school my kids, so I actually have less free time than I thought I would. I already miss my kids going to school. I am NOT cut out to be a teacher! This sucks! I hope you are all doing well, and continue to remain healthy.

If anyone has kids and needs help with finding some educational materials to keep them learning while the schools are closed, there is a list on facebook of all the companies providing free learning memberships for their apps and programs, including ABC Mouse. If anyone needs a copy of that list, feel free to let me know and I can get it to you. If any of you are sick, I wish you a speedy recovery, and I urge you all to reach out to your local resources for any help that you may need. Many school districts, and local businesses are providing free lunches to students in need, no questions asked. Just hang in there, and keep up with the the great hygiene and obsessively washing your hands. And most importantly, have a plan for your family. We are a family of asthmatics, and have a plan in place just in case one of us starts getting sick. We are doing our best to stay healthy, I hope that you are all doing the same. Have a great weekend, and I'll update as much as I can to help keep you all entertained.

* * *

"Hey Baby! Did you sleep ok?" Rory asked when Logan woke up a few hours later, and came downstairs to find her on the living room couch with a book.

"I did, but I missed you being there when I opened my eyes." Logan said giving her a kiss.

"Hey there Sleepyhead!" Luke said from the kitchen. "I hope you're hungry, dinner will be ready soon."

"It smells amazing!" Logan said looking up to see Rory's parents and April in the kitchen, working to prepare the meal together. "April, you're still here!"

"Actually Honey, I told April she could stay for another week. I hope that's ok?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, of course! You are welcome any time, April. Mi casa es su casa." Logan told her.

"Hey Logan, can I ask you something?" April asked.

"Of course you can."

"I was talking to Rory, Lorelai and Gigi last night, and I talked to Dad before that . . . I graduate from MIT in May, with a degree in biological sciences."

"Wow! That is really awesome! Congratulations! You will have to get us the information for your ceremony, so we can be there."

"Thank you, I definitely will. So I was thinking about what I want to do with my degree, and I was actually thinking of maybe trying to get a job in a hospital laboratory."

"I will definitely put in a good word for you at Columbia. Put in an application and use me as a reference. You can even live here with us for as long as you want to. Either until you get a place of your own, or even until you get married and move away. Whatever you want to do. You don't even have to worry about rent. My sister gave me a place to stay, rent free, and we'll do the same thing for you. Whatever you need, just say the word, and I'll take care of it."

"Really? Because I totally don't mind getting my own place." April told him.

"You are welcome to live here for as long as you want to. It's a big enough house, and we are happy to have you. We'll have a brand new baby, so as long as you don't mind all the crying, and baby stuff everywhere, you are definitely welcome to be here." Rory told her.

"Thanks you guys! You know Dad, I really do love having a sister! Thank you for giving me a sibling!" April said giving Luke a hug, and kissing him on the cheek.

"Awwwwwww!" Lorelai said with a proud smile. "That was so sweet!"

"Hey Ace, do you know where my phone is?" Logan asked. "I was looking for it upstairs, but couldn't find it in our room."

"Yeah, I actually have it." Rory said reaching for the two phones on the table next to the couch. "But before you check your messages, I need to talk to you about something."

"What happened now?" Logan asked with a sigh, lifting Rory's legs so he could sit down on the couch next to her.

"I talked to Doctor Levan while you were sleeping."

"He called?"

"No, I called him. And before you get upset, I need you to hear me out. This whole heart attack thing doesn't make any sense to me. Your Dad was doing great in California. I've heard the therapists at the rehab center when you've talked to them. They didn't have any concerns, and they said that he was getting stronger every day. So for Mitchum to come back here, and have a massive heart attack after only 3 days, it raises a lot of questions."

"I've been trying to figure it out too. We have to be missing something. I had a lot of blood drawn to run every test I could think of. It'll be a few days before all of the results come back." Logan told her.

"I asked Doctor Levan to add a toxicology test."

"Ok?"

"None of this makes any sense to me. I don't know if it's the reporter in me, or if it's pregnancy hormones, but I suspect that someone may be sabotaging your Dad's recovery."

"But why would anyone do that? And who do you suspect?"

"Mom, would you bring me that bag please?" Rory asked, turning her head to look toward the kitchen. "Mom and I went over to Honor's house after I talked to Doctor Levan. I was already pretty annoyed with your mother for the crap she pulled last night, and I originally went over to confront her about it. But then while we were talking to Honor, I had a thought." Rory said as Lorelai handed her the bag with Mitchum's medication in it.

"What is that? Is that prescription bottles? Who's medicine is that?" Logan asked as Lorelai sat down in the chair next to the couch.

"I asked Honor who has been over seeing your Dad's medication. Who is giving it to him while he's been here. She said that she's been doing it with a little bit of help from your Mom. I asked to see the medication. I want you to count these pills." Rory said handing him the bag.

"I'm guessing you've already counted them."

"I did. Mom and Honor counted too."

"And?"

"Count them." Rory told him.

"If you guys already counted them, I trust your numbers."

"All 3 of the bottles say to take one pill twice a day. They are each a 30-day supply and were filled exactly one week ago, with 60 pills each. Taking each medication twice a day, means that your dad should have 46 pills left in each bottle. Even allowing two extra pills for doses missed last night and this morning, that would only leave 48 pills."

"But you got a different number." Logan concluded.

"Different numbers." Lorelai told him.

"What?"

"Each bottle has a different number of pills in it."

"You're kidding." Logan said as he took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. "How many pills are in the bottles?"

"One bottle has 50 pills. The others have 52 pills and 54 pills."

"Which means that not only has my dad been missing doses of his medication, but that he's been given the wrong doses too."

"Exactly." Rory agreed.

"Getting the wrong doses would have definitely caused his heart attack. Damn it!"

"I'm so sorry Babe!"

"It's fine. I actually really appreciate you figuring all of this out. It saves me time."

"There's more." Rory told him.

"You confronted my mom . . ."

"Kind of . . . Did she admit to it?"

"It wasn't that kind of confrontation."

"Explain."

"She wasn't exactly thrilled to see us at Honor's house. She was outside smoking when we got there, and Honor called her into the kitchen after we counted the pills."

"Does she know that you know?"

"She knows that I know something, but she doesn't know what I know."

"You're being evasive." Logan told her.

"I might have ripped into her for being a disrespectful unsupportive mother."

"You did?"

"It was awesome!" Lorelai commented with a chuckle. "Rory really gave her a piece of her mind."

"How did that go over?" Logan asked.

"I might have thrown my driver's license at her."

"Which accomplishes what?"

"I wanted her to see my name."

"Your new license says Huntzberger on it. I was with you at the DMV."

"I gave her this one." Rory said pulling her old license out of her pocket. "I might have called her a gold digging bimbo and told her that being a Hayden means that I have more money than she does."

"Being the CEO of HPG means that you have more money than she does." Logan told her.

"I told her that I went to Chilton and graduated with Honors."

"Honor went there too."

"Honor made that comment as well. But she also said that I have her beat because she didn't take any honors classes while she was there."

"Rory graduated Valedictorian from Chilton." Lorelai told him.

"I remember her telling me that."

"I told your mom that she hates me because unlike her I have a brain, and that I don't need a man to take care of me."

"And?" Lorelai urged.

"And that I like to earn my keep and do things for myself."

"And?"

"And that I have a happy marriage with a husband who actually loves me and doesn't cheat on me."

"And?"

"And that she might be related to you by blood, but you were raised by nannies, to be who you are, and that the amazing man that you are is in no part because of her."

"And?"

"And then I told her about your dad having a heart attack and being in a medically induced coma, and that it was her fault and she knew what she did. And I might have told her that she had better hope that the results from the blood tests all come back in her favor because it is a criminal offense to play God with someone else's health."

"Did she cry?"

"Not that we saw." Lorelai told him. "Rory stormed out after that, and I left right behind her. But Shira definitely didn't look happy."

"Well she deserved all of it. She had it coming." Logan told them.

"Your sister was snapping at your mom before Rory even started in on her. Your mom was pretty pissed, and started to rip into Honor until Josh stepped in and checked her."

"I wonder if she's even still over there."

"Honor said she won't be leaving until you say it's ok. She's got her under house arrest." Rory told him. "I talked to her about an hour ago."

"Has Doctor Levan called?" Logan asked.

"No, but he texted. He wants you to call him. I told him that I would let you know when you woke up." Rory said as she handed Logan his phone.

"Logan, go make your call." Luke said from the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes."

"If dinner is ready before I get back, go ahead and start without me. I'm not sure how long this will take." Logan told everyone.

"Do you need anything?" Rory asked.

"No. You've done a lot today. Are you ok after dealing with my mother?"

"Yeah, I'm great actually! There are some things that I wish I had said, but didn't think of until after the fact, but it's all good."

"Rory did tell her that if your Dad does by any chance die, that it's on her, and that your mother will never be allowed in your home or family ever again." Lorelai told him.

"Oh yeah. I forgot that part." Rory chuckled.

"After what she pulled, I don't want her anywhere near you, or this house, EVER! And that goes for the baby too. That woman can't be trusted." Logan said getting up from his seat on the couch. "I'll be in my office."

_**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Scene 2 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**_

"So what's the plan then?" Honor asked as she sat in front of the fire pit in her backyard with Logan, Rory, Josh and April.

"We won't know what kind of damage was done until Dad wakes up. Doctor Levan wants to start waking him up tomorrow. We are still waiting on the results from today's blood draw to see exactly how much of each of the medications is in Dad's blood, but the overdose from just one of them could have caused the heart attack. We just need to wait and see if it did any other damage. Dad could have memory loss, motor function decrease or loss, it could have done a lot of damage. We just don't know until he wakes up and starts talking and moving around."

"So here's an idea that I thought up, and I want your opinion on it . . . I'm thinking that maybe we need to think about sending mom to rehab. I've noticed that she might have an addiction problem. She's smoking a lot more, and her Xanax bottle that I picked up for her just the other day is almost empty. Plus, she's been trying to drink, which of course she can't do in this house because we moved all of our alcohol over to your house when we brought dad home. But mom has been asking for drinks an awful lot. Maybe we should send her to a facility where she can detox and get some therapy. I'm starting to think that maybe she didn't screw up Dad's medication on purpose. Maybe she thought that she was helping, but she was so drugged up herself, that she completely screwed everything up."

"That is a definite possibility." Logan agreed. "I am not one to give mom any kind of break on anything, but as a doctor, you've made a valid point. It is very likely that mom was too drugged to know what the hell she was doing. Mom has been abusing Xanax and alcohol for years. I don't doubt that she's addicted. What I do doubt though, is that she would be willing to go to rehab to get clean."

"Well here is where I think we can blackmail her." Honor told him. "Rory and I are both pregnant. If Mom wants to have any kind of contact with either or our children, she needs to get clean, and stay clean. Otherwise, she doesn't get to be a grandmother."

"That might work for you Honor, but your mom doesn't give a damn about me being pregnant. As far as your Mom is concerned, I could be the one in the medically induced coma, and she still wouldn't care. That woman wishes that I didn't exist. There is no way that she would get clean in order to have a relationship with our kid."

"You need a referral from a doctor before any of the luxury rehab centers will accept you." Logan told them. "There is no chance in hell that Mom will agree to see a doctor."

"I don't mean to point out the obvious, but Logan, you are a doctor. You can write the referral." April told him.

"They may not take it from me though. I can try, but some places won't accept it unless it's from a psychologist or treating hospital. Mom hasn't been admitted."

"So let's admit her for a psychiatric hold. She did overdose Dad. That's a good enough reason to have her put on a psych hold. She isn't coherent enough to even give her husband his heart medication, which means that she is a danger to not only herself, but to others as well." Honor commented.

"Honor has a point there." Rory agreed. "You said yourself that you don't trust your mother near any of us. She already drugged your dad, whether it was on purpose, or by accident. Who's to say that she decides to come over to help me one day and accidentally gives me one of her Xanax instead of a vitamin or something, and ends up hurting both me and the baby? Or what happens if she's over here after Honor has the baby and drops the baby, or forgets what she is doing and puts the baby down and walks away leaving the baby wherever? Your Mother isn't even capable of making herself a meal, much less helping out with your Dad or our baby."

"I agree with Rory." Josh spoke up. "What if when we go to the hospital tomorrow for Mitchum's team to start waking him up, we have Shira admitted for detox, and then transferred to a rehab center from there?"

"I like that idea." Honor agreed. "Logan, do you think we might be able to do it?"

"I don't know. I can call and ask. I'm sure I can get her into a local program pretty quickly, but we would have to get her to agree to it. They won't take her unless it's what she wants."

"What about sending her somewhere like the Betty Ford Clinic? That place is supposed to be amazing! I've heard really good things about it." April suggested.

"Isn't that were a lot of celebrities go?" Josh asked.

"It is. It's a luxury resort style treatment center for drug and alcohol dependency, both of which Mom needs." Logan told them.

"Maybe while she's going through treatment and counseling, she can get therapy to deal with her blatant hatred of me." Rory chuckled.

"There is a good chance it'll be included. They'll ask a lot about her family. I'm sure your name will come up."

"Do you think they'll take Mom?" Honor asked.

"I think with the right referrals, and enough money, it's a definite possibility. But here in the other thing . . . Christmas is in a few weeks. It's not like it matters to me, but if we move mom into therapy right now, she won't be able to come back for Christmas." Logan told them.

"Deal!" Josh said loudly.

"I agree." Honor added. "Even when Mom is around for Christmas, she's never actually fully there. Between the smoking, Xanax, and Mom's constant alcohol consumption, she's always off in outer space during the holidays. I think this might actually be the best thing for her. Get her away from here for Christmas, and get her clean."

"I agree with Honor and Josh." Rory chimed in.

"It'll be peaceful with her out of state and not constantly under foot, making snide comments to us about everything we've done to mess up her traditions." Logan told them.

"Oh, excuse me." Shira said, stepping into the backyard with a pack of cigarettes in her hand. "Honor, I didn't know that you had friends over."

"Friends Mom?" Honor questioned. "Really?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I only see one friend." Shira corrected herself, as she took a step closer and realized who was sitting around the fire pit. "Hello Logan."

"Mom, why don't you come sit down." Honor spoke up.

"No thank you, I just came out for a smoke." Shira told her.

"You can't smoke out here with Rory and I both pregnant. Come sit. We need to have a little family chat."

"Honor, after the last little chat we had this afternoon, I am not interested in being a part of your childish games."

"Mother, you need to come sit." Logan spoke up. "This concerns you. Either you come sit down and hear us out on what is going on, or we will come up with a new plan for you that you won't like at all. If we have to, we will cut off your weekly allowance."

"Logan! That is no way to talk to your mother, especially not in front of one of your sister's lovely friends."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Rory said, rolling her eyes. "Did you hear that April? She thinks that you are one of Honor's friends."

"I mean, I guess I could be one of Honor's friends. No offense or anything, but isn't Honor like 15 years older than me?"

"Exactly!" Rory said trying to stifle her laughter.

"Mother, this is Rory's sister, April." Honor told her. "Now come sit down so you can hear what is going to be happening, starting tomorrow morning.


	35. Chapter 35

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

Self Quarantine Day 14

Sorry it's been a few days since I've last updated. It's tough being home with two autistic kids who are now being home schooled as our governor has deiced that the remainder of the school year will be completed online. This week was supposed to be Spring Break. LOL I've been busy the last few days, sewing face masks for friends who are nurses. Things are getting bad, and it's starting to get really scary.

I hope this update finds everybody healthy and happy. We are currently safe from COVID-19. We are currently self quarantined in our home. The schools are all closed here, which means that I am home all day with two autistic kids, until further notice. The entire country is basically shut down at this point, which is interesting to watch from online. Luckily for my family, this complete shutdown of life isn't really hurting us at all. Other than being trapped in our house, nothing has changed. My husband still goes to work, but now gets to run all of the errands too, while I stay home with the kids. It's great fun being stuck at home. I am sick of watching tv, and sick of every game on my phone. But I now have to home school my kids, so I actually have less free time than I thought I would. I already miss my kids going to school. I am NOT cut out to be a teacher! This sucks! I hope you are all doing well, and continue to remain healthy.

* * *

"Hey Ace, it's freezing in here! Why is the door open?" Logan asked, walking into the kitchen from his office, and seeing Rory sitting in a chair in front of the door to the backyard, with a blanket wrapped around her.

"Do you smell it?" Rory asked, looking up at Logan.

"Smell what?" Logan asked. "Babe, it's like 30 degrees outside, and you're letting all the heat out and the cold air in. Not that I'm worried about not being able to afford a large electrical bill, but come on, why is the door open?"

"Logan, smell it! Take a deep breath, and smell the air!" Rory said excitedly.

"I smell nothing. Come on, it's freezing Ace!"

"You really don't smell that?!" Rory asked.

"What am I supposed to be smelling?"

"I smell snow!" Rory announced excitedly.

"You smell snow? Are you serious?! Babe, I think you're losing it. Snow doesn't have a smell. Come on, let's shut the door and get you warm."

"No, Logan, for real. Can't you smell that?"

"Ace, is this some kind of twisted pregnancy joke that I don't understand?"

"You really don't smell it?"

"I don't smell anything. Come on, close the door now."

"Seriously?"

"Rory, why are we having this conversation? Snow doesn't have a smell, and it's not snowing anyway. It's just cold. This is probably just some crazy pregnancy craving type thing. Maybe you're dehydrated? How much water have you drank today?"

"This isn't some crazy pregnancy thing. Ever since I could remember, my mom could always smell it when it was getting ready to start snowing. She would smell it before it ever started, and she would sit there, and relish in it. I never understood her crazy fascination, or random ability to be able to smell snow, but I get it now. I finally get it! I smell snow. And it's almost here!"

"Ace, as a medical professional, I can tell you with 100% certainty, that snow does not have a smell. I love you, and I love your mom, so please don't take this the wrong way, but I think you've both lost your minds. Now come on, shut the door. It's cold!" Logan said walking over to Rory, and pulling her chair away from the doorway, then shutting the door she had been sitting in front of.

"Logan! We're going to miss it!"

"Miss what?"

"The snow!"

"What snow? There isn't any snow. It's not supposed to snow today. Not for a few more days if I remember correctly. It's just cold."

"You see Dear Husband, that's where you're wrong!" Rory said pulling her phone out from under the blanket that she was wrapped up in, and pressing a few buttons. "Hey Mom!"

"Rory, do you smell it?!" Lorelai asked as soon as she answered the phone.

"For the very first time ever, I actually do! I smell it!" Rory said excitedly.

"You two are insane!" Logan said rolling his eyes as he opened the refrigerator.

"Mom, Logan doesn't believe me! He walked into the room and immediately told me to close the door because it's cold. Hold on, I'm switching you to Facetime . . . Here, you tell him!"

"Logan? What are you doing?" Lorelai asked, seeing Logan's back as he stood in front of the refrigerator.

"Looking for dinner. One of use needs to be the adult here, and figure out what we are going to eat tonight."

"You need chili cheese fries, smores and hot chocolate." Lorelai told him.

"That's not dinner."

"No, but it's first snow food."

"It's not snowing! And what the heck is first snow food?!" Logan asked.

"It's the magical foods that go with the first snowfall. You'll need both chocolate and powdered donuts too."

"And twizzlers!" Rory added.

"Ok, first of all, NONE of that is dinner! Second, it's NOT snowing! And third, do I need to remind you that you're pregnant, slightly anemic, and need to eat a decent meal?" Logan said closing the fridge, and turning to see both Lorelai and Rory staring at him, expectantly.

"Do you see what I'm dealing with?!" Rory asked.

"Logan, you really need to get on board here." Lorelai told him.

"On board with what?" Logan asked .

"Dinner!" they heard Luke call through the phone., then saw him appear behind Lorelai with plastic bags of food in his hands.

"What are you guys having tonight?" Logan asked, almost nervously.

"Here are your donuts, both chocolate and powdered, Mallomars, marshmallows, graham crackers, Hershey bars, hot cocoa, twizzlers, and your chili cheese fries." Luke said, piling Lorelai's dinner items onto the table in front of her.

"And what is that other box in your hand?" Lorelai asked.

"A steak and a salad for me. There is no way in hell that I am eating any of that fist snow crap that you insisted on me getting."

"See!" Lorelai said proudly into the phone.

"See what? Who are you talking to?" Luke asked looking around the kitchen.

"It's Rory and Logan. Rory smells the snow too, and Logan thinks we're insane."

"That's because you ARE insane!" Logan laughed.

"Thank you!" Luke agreed. "See! I told you that snow has no smell! But for years and years, you've sat here insisting that you smell the stuff, and shoveling all kind of junk food into your mouth all night while you get all excited about the possibility that maybe your crazy imagination will suddenly make mother nature spring snow on us."

"See, even Luke knows that snow doesn't have a smell!" Logan told them.

"Logan, you're a doctor! This is some kind of mental illness, right?!" Luke asked.

"I would hope so, because it's definitely not logical!" Logan laughed.

"For years, these two have been doing this. Every freaking time it snows, they think that they can smell it. And the first snow of the year, is this crazy magical thing to them. I swear, they think that they can predict it, or will it to happen, or something." Luke told them.

"No Luke, that was always just a mom thing." Rory told him. "I always just went along with it. But it finally happened today! I can actually really smell it now!"

"Rory, I think you've probably had too much coffee, and that baby is so jacked up on caffeine, that she's never going to sleep again."

"You two just don't get it." Lorelai told them. "You see, this happened to me when I was pregnant with Rory. I developed this crazy sense of smell, and ever since, I've been able to smell when there is snow coming. I was never able to do it before, and it never went away. I just got this crazy twitch in my nose, and I just knew. It smelled like snow!"

"Logan, do you see what I have to deal with?!" Luke asked.

"Yeah, and apparently I have her twin, right here!" Logan laughed.

"I think maybe it's a Lorelai thing." Lorelai told them. "Like maybe only people named Lorelai can smell it?"

"I wonder if Grand could do it?" Rory asked.

"I don't know. Maybe we'll have to ask Grandpa."

"You two are insane!" Luke told them.

"How are we insane?! You're insane for not believing us!" Lorelai told him.

"Ok, call me crazy, but I'll bite . . ." Logan started. "What does snow smell like?"

"It smells like magic!" Lorelai smiled excitedly. "It smells like magic, and happiness. It smells like a warm blanket, fresh out of a drier full of warm chocolate chip cookies that melt in your mouth, and hug you with tasty aroma. It smells like excitement and freedom."

"Ok, now I know that you're hallucinating!" Logan laughed. "That was the most wacked out, drugged up, high as a kite, tweaker description that I have EVER heard! And I'm an emergency room doctor!"

"That was right up there with what does a pink number 3 taste like." Luke told them.

"For real!" Logan agreed. "I'm going to leave you two crazy women alone for a bit, and go out to pick up some dinner."

"Get all the first snow foods that mom told you." Rory instructed him.

"Absolutely NOT!" Logan told her. "You're pregnant with my baby. You are NOT going to load up on crap tonight. I'm getting you a salad. And maybe some steak, because Luke made it sound really good!"

"Good man, Logan!" Luke said proudly.

"Don't worry Honey, mommy can have all the first snow essentials delivered to you within an hour." Lorelai told her. "You and my sweet baby jelly bean will be eating all of the yummy first snow foods with me tonight. Mommy always has your back!"

"Thanks Mommy!" Rory smiled as Logan just shook his head behind her.

"Rory, I'm leaving. I'll be back shortly." Logan said, reaching into a drawer behind him, and pulling his car keys out.

"It'll be ok kid. He'll eventually come around. It took me years to train Luke." Lorelai said as they watched Logan leave the kitchen. "Eventually he'll get it."

_**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Scene 2 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**_

"Hey Logan! How's your Dad doing?" Doyle asked, seeing Logan and Rory walk into the HPG building the next morning.

"He's alright at the moment. As long as he stays stable, they may release him to Honor at the end of the week."

"How long has it been since his surgery?"

"8 days."

"That's good. I'm glad he's doing well. What about your Mom? How is she doing?"

"Mom is at the Betty Ford Clinic. Inpatient rehab." Logan smiled. "It's about time!"

"You guys finally got her to go?"

"Emotional blackmail, my friend!

"How long will she be gone?"

"At least 12 weeks."

"Hopefully it'll help her."

"That's the plan!"

"Is she being released for Christmas?"

"Nope! Holidays are major addiction triggers. She'll gone until the end of February."

"You seem excited by that."

"You have no idea!" Logan laughed as they walked into Rory's office, and put their things down.

"You guys have that meeting you requested with the hospital board and the insurance company this morning at ten. Is there anything special that you need before everyone starts arriving?"

"Actually, would you mind running down the street to the bakery on the corner and get a couple boxes of pastries?" Rory asked.

"Sure, I'll do that right now. Is there anything else?"

"Grab some drinks to go with them." Logan told him. "Milk, orange juice, coffee, maybe some eggnog if they have it."

"No problem. I'll be back shortly!" Doyle said, then left the office to get the requested items.

"Are you ready for the meeting?" Rory asked as Logan helped her out of her coat.

"I think so. I talked to Sookie's friend the other day, to get the details of what her company provides for all the employees, and I did some research about what other companies have done. We basically just need the partnership from the hospital, and a fee agreement with the insurance company. If HPG has to pay for supplies for our personal clinic, then that's an expense we will have to cover, but as long as we can get the hospital partnership, we should be good to go. I have a contract with Columbia for another 3 years, so if they like me enough, they should be excited to get on board. It's a big win for them with all the guaranteed patients they would get."

"Well, we just need for them to agree then. I for one would be really happy to have you running your own office right here in the building."

"And why is that?"

"Because I would get to see you a lot more, and not have to give you up on weekends."

"That is true. But I would basically be doing two different jobs for HPG. I would be running the clinic and being your partner CEO."

"At least you finally admit that's what you are."

"Only to you. Don't you dare say it to anyone in my family!" Logan said pulling Rory into his arms.

"And what's in it for me if I keep quiet?"

"Nothing that is appropriate here at the office, that's for sure!" Logan laughed as Rory wrapped her arms around his neck. "You look beautiful today. Have I told you that?"

"You might have."

"Well maybe we can sneak out of here early today, and I can show you just how much I appreciate your efforts?"

"Don't be threatening me with a good time." Rory said softly as Logan kissed her, holding her tight against him.

"Knock knock!" a voice said from the door.

"Hey Sandra!" Rory smiled, turning to see her secretary. "Come on in."

"I'm sorry to interrupt. I'm still not used to all the happy smiles and lovey dovey stuff in this office. It's never been this cheerful in all the years that I've worked here."

"It's definitely not the Huntzberger style, is it?!" Logan laughed, taking a seat behind the large desk, and turning on the computer.

"Not at all. You guys are cute though. It's nice to see you happy Logan. I'm so used to you and your Dad yelling at each other, that walking into PDA is an entirely new concept for me."

"It's definitely NOT what my family is known for, that's for sure."

"It's a good thing though. This office definitely has a much calmer demeanor now that you two have taken over. No one is running skiddish, around fearing for their job all day."

"I've noticed that too. Everyone seems a lot happier."

"And no one is afraid of you. I think that's the biggest change. You guys aren't very intimidating."

"I think that's Rory's influence. She's definitely softened me up."

"Well it's really nice to see you so happy. I'm still getting used to having you both in here, but it's definitely a great change. I just came to let you know that your cousin Randy asked for a meeting with you, Logan."

"Do you have any idea what he wants?"

"He did not."

"Ok. Let him know that I'll call him in after my conference this morning."

"No problem. I am getting the conference room set up, and I'll let you know when everyone arrives."

"Thank you Sandra." Logan said as Sandra left the office, and Rory approached him with a cup of coffee.

"Mrs. Huntzberger, I do believe that is cup number two this morning."

"Number 3 actually."

"Rory . . . We've talked about this."

"I know, but I didn't even drink all of the other ones. I only drank less than half. Which really only makes this almost number 2."

"You're cut off after this one."

"What if I bribe you?"

"It better be a damn good bribe, because it's not good for the baby."

"But I like it, it wakes me up." Rory whined, sitting down on Logan's lap. "And it makes me happy."

"But it's still not good for the baby."

"But if I'm happy, then I can turn around and make you happy . . ."

"But what if I'm already happy?" Logan asked, wrapping an arm around her waist, and reaching for the cup of coffee she had set in front of them on the desk, and taking a sip.

"Hey! No fair! That's my coffee!"

"Yeah, well, you're my wife, and New York is a community property state, so what's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine too."

"Oh really?! Is that how it's going to be?!" Rory laughed as Logan took another sip of her coffee, before setting it back on the desk in front of them.

"I'm kidding, New York isn't a community property state at all. It's an equitable property state, which means everything is divided fairly."

"Not like we'll ever have that problem, right?" Rory asked in a serious voice, looking into Logan's eyes.

"Not if I can help it. I'm not planning to ever let you go. You're it for me."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Ace." Logan said with a smile, kissing her gently. "No more coffee today, ok? Baby girl doesn't need to come out jacked up on caffeine."

"About that . . . I thought of a name."

"What's that?"

"Lorelai Ayribella Huntzberger. We can call her just Ayribella, or even Ayri."

"That sounds beautiful."

"You like it?"

"I do. It's perfect."

"I was trying to decide if we should continue the Lorelai tradition, and I couldn't think of any good reason not to, so Ayribella will be Lorelai the fourth."

"It's a great tradition. Especially with the Gilmore name dying out. It's one way to keep your family heritage alive."

"I thought so too."

"So baby Ayribella." Logan smiled, laying his hand on Rory's stomach. "Do you like your name Baby Girl? Lorelai Ayribella Huntzberger. We're going to call you Ayribella. That is such a pretty name. It's perfect for our beautiful baby girl. Daddy loves you Ayribella."

"You are such an amazing father." Rory smiled as tears threatened her eyes. "Every time you talk to her it makes me tear up."

"I can't wait to meet her."

"Only about 6 more months." Rory chuckled, trying to hold her emotions in.

"I hope she is just like you. Beautiful and smart."

"Well, she's definitely got the looks and smarts going for her, no matter which one of us she takes after."

"She's not allowed to date, ever!"

"Good luck with that one!" Rory laughed.

"Especially not a guy like me. I know what a jerk I am!"

"Oh come on! You might have been a jerk in the beginning, but you're an amazing, kind, gentle man now. I'll be proud to have a son just like you someday."

"Is that your way of saying you want to have another baby after this one?"

"Not right away, no. But someday. I want you to have that perfect son. Someone who is just like you, and you can be proud of, just like you always wished your parents would be. I want that for you."

"I'm so glad I married you." Logan said softly. "You make me believe that everything is going to be ok. That everything will work out perfectly, the way I always imagined it."

"It will. We're in this together, and we aren't your parents. We can do this." Rory told him.

"I love how much you believe in me."

"I never stopped believing in you." Rory said gently stroking his cheek. "You are the most amazing man I've ever met. Ayribella is so lucky to have you."


	36. Chapter 36

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

Self Quarantine Day 15

Sorry I've been slow with updates lately. It's tough being home with two autistic kids who are now being home schooled as our governor has decided that the remainder of the school year will be completed online. This week was supposed to be Spring Break. LOL I've been busy the last few days, sewing face masks for friends who are nurses, and I'm now getting requests for masks from complete strangers in other states. Things are getting bad, and it's starting to get really scary.

I hope this update finds everybody healthy and happy. We are currently safe from COVID-19. We are currently self quarantined in our home. The schools are all closed here, which means that I am home all day with two autistic kids, until further notice. The entire country is basically shut down at this point, which is interesting to watch from online. Luckily for my family, this complete shutdown of life isn't really hurting us at all. Other than being trapped in our house, nothing has changed. My husband still goes to work, but now gets to run all of the errands too, while I stay home with the kids. It's great fun being stuck at home. I am sick of watching tv, and sick of every game on my phone. But I now have to home school my kids, so I actually have less free time than I thought I would. I already miss my kids going to school. I am NOT cut out to be a teacher! This sucks! I hope you are all doing well, and continue to remain healthy and happy.

* * *

"Hi Everyone, thank you for Coming." Logan said standing up at the front of the room. "Samantha, Kimberly, Doctor Greenley, it's nice to see you again. I'm guessing everyone is wondering why I have asked you all to be here, so let me start by making a couple of brief introductions. Mr. Stanley, Mr. Brown . . . Thank you so much for coming. Mr. Brown and Mr. Stanley are both here representing United Health Care, the insurance company for all HPG employees. Everyone else here in this room today, is on the hospital board at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, where I am an emergency room doctor, along with Doctor Greenley. Many of you know my wife, Rory Huntzberger, CEO of Huntzberger Publishing Group. The reason we have asked you all to be here today, is because we have a proposition for all of you. This idea was proposed to me by a close family friend, and I think that it would benefit all of the HPG employees in the area, as well as Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. There are many large employers throughout the country that along with providing a generous health insurance package, also provide an on-site health care clinic. In each clinic, there is one doctor and 1-2 nurses. These clinics are not accessible by the public. They are strictly available only for employees of each company, and members of the employee's immediate family. In most of the clinics, the doctor of staff has rights at the local hospital, where they are able to see their patients should they be admitted. However, what I am proposing to you goes a little bit further. What I am proposing is an employee clinic for Huntzberger Publishing Group, that is an extension of Columbia Presbyterian. The clinic will be run by a doctor and nurses that are provided by the hospital, use all the same computer systems that are fully connected and accessible by any health care provider at either the clinic, or at the hospital, at any time. All of the patient records will remain property of Columbia Presbyterian. While most of the clinics that I looked into are privately staffed and funded, being a hospital partnership gives Columbia Presbyterian guaranteed patients. While Huntzberger Publishing Group only has around 500 employees in New York, we have thousands of others all over the world. Any of those employees would have access to the clinic. That means that any specialty procedure that is wanting to be done, rather than pay out of pocket and extra fees to have the procedure performed at some other hospital, the employee can choose to come here, to New York, and have their procedure done by a world class surgeon right here at Columbia. By doing so, the employee would be paying less out of pocket because of the current insurance partnership, but also would have follow up care right here at our clinic. Also, any employees who are traveling to New York on business, which happens a lot in the newspaper business, any of those employees who require medical care would be able to be treated right here in the on-site clinic. Having an on-site clinic cuts down on time off work needed by every employee for all of their medical care. What would normally end up being a day off of work for the employee to see their doctor, would end up being less than an hour off of work. Our employees in the New York City area, would be able to set an appointment right from their computer. And anyone in this office building would only have a short elevator ride to the doctor's office. They would be able to see the doctor on staff within a couple of minutes, and get right back to work instantly. There wouldn't be any travel time involved, no days away from work. We could work it out so that the employee could see the doctor either on their lunch break, or they can take a medical break. We can figure out how to allow the time. But the point is that the employee would be able to see a doctor and then go right back to work, with very little disruption to the work day. In other companies that provide on-site employee clinics, they have also cut back on each employee's co-pay. Many of the clinics only charge a $5 co-pay, and still receive all of the same care that they would receive going to another doctor's office. All of the medical benefits remain the same. There aren't any changes to the health care policy at all. But the co-pay for the employee clinic is significantly less than it is to see any other doctor. It's a win for the employee, a win for the company, and a win for the hospital. And as for the insurance company, it's a definite win because the billing becomes a lot easier. There is no out of network doctor or fees. Everything for the employee is covered by the current health care plan that the company already has in place." Logan explained.

"So if we were to partner with you to open this clinic, it would be right here in this building?" Samantha asked.

"Yes, it would be. I can give you a tour of the office we have available downstairs, on the second floor. It will need a little renovating to turn it into a medical office, but I think we can definitely have it up and running within a couple of months."

"And who would you propose runs this office?" Doctor Greenley asked.

"Me! I am here anyway, 3 days a week, and then I spend the next 3 days working 12 hours shifts at the hospital. It takes me out of the emergency room, but you have more than enough doctors there, and I have a PhD in Immunology and Genetics, and an MD in Internal Medicine. I am more than qualified to run an employee clinic. I went to medical school and Columbia University, I completed my residency at Columbia Presbyterian a year ago, and I then signed a 4-year contract to remain practicing medicine at Columbia Presbyterian. Columbia is my home. I love it there! There is no other hospital or company that I would rather work for. I grew up in HPG, right here in this office, and in the Hartford office. And in all honesty, I absolutely hated it! I felt stifled, and forced into the newspaper publishing life. About 10 years ago, I broke away, and I moved to California where I worked for a technology start up. I was there for only 6 months before I realized how unhappy I was, and moved here to New York where I started medical school. Practicing medicine makes me happy. It's what I love. Unfortunately, ever since my father's first heart attack a couple of months ago, and then his second one 8 days ago, I am needed here at HPG. I am not the happiest being here, but my wife is here, and she needs me to help her acclimate to being the new CEO. I grew up here, and I know the business. I can run this place in my sleep, and I pretty much do. But I'm bored. I need a new challenge, and I think that putting an employee clinic right here in this office building would give me that challenge. I would be able to see and treat employees from all over the state. And we can even open the clinic up to not just HPG employees, but also to employees of Columbia Presbyterian as well. That would give us thousands of patients coming through our door. And being right here in this building, if Rory needed me, I am just a short elevator ride away. I would also be able to attend the board and shareholder meetings, and have a new perspective on what is going on with our company on both a business and a personal level."

"Who would fund this clinic?" Kimberly asked.

"Ideally, being a subsidiary of Columbia Presbyterian, the clinic would be fully funded by the hospital. However, I am open to negotiations, and HPG is more than willing to fund the clinic ourselves if necessary." Logan answered.

"I personally think this clinic is a great idea." Rory said speaking up. "As an employee of HPG, I can tell you from personal experience how wonderful Columbia Presbyterian has been to me, both before and after marrying Logan. While I was working for the New York Times, I got hurt at work, and was taken via ambulance to Columbia, where I was treated in the ER. Everyone there was completely amazing to me. I knew Logan from college, and he took the best care of me that day. Since then, I've been in the emergency room one other time after a fall a few weeks ago, where we found out that I'm pregnant. Now, being that I also went to college with Doctor Gellar, she is of course my OB. But as an HPG employee, had I not been Doctor Gellar's roommate for 3 years, at Yale, I would have had my choice of hundreds of other doctors all over the state. But by having a hospital partnership right here in this building, we would be able to refer other patients such as myself, to other Columbia doctors. All of those other pregnant employees would be referred right to Doctor Gellar. Any cardiac patients would be referred to Doctor Levan. Any patient that needs an orthopedist would be sent right over to the team at Columbia. This office would strictly refer all or our employees who come into the on-site clinic, right to whatever specialist they needed, right over at the hospital. I know first-hand what an amazing doctor Logan is, and I am confident that he would be the best person to run the clinic here. Obviously, he wouldn't be able to treat me because I'm his wife, but that is just something that I can deal with. I see Doctor Gellar for everything anyway. But everyone else in this company would really benefit from being Logan's patient. I am more than willing to sign off on funding for an on-site clinic, and provide an office right here in this building, free of charge. No rental fee, no utilities fee. The clinic would be a full partnership with the hospital, and we would encourage every HPG employee to use the clinic rather than see another doctor somewhere else."

"This clinic is definitely something that United Health Care can support. We have a lot of similar programs throughout the country, and we can definitely work with HPG to get the services in place." Mr. Stanley agreed. "Mr. Brown, what do you think?"

"I am on the same page. I will work with the corporate team to get the policy adapted for HPG."

"What about adding the employees from Columbia? Who is the insurance carrier there?" Rory asked.

"We are contracted through United as well." Samantha answered.

"Oh excellent, so if we were to open the clinic to employees from both companies, we only have one insurance company that we need to contract with."

"That is correct." Mr. Stanley assured her.

"So I guess then the question is would the hospital be willing to partner with us? Obviously the logistics would need to be worked out at a later time, but is this something that Columbia Presbyterian would be interested in doing? Even if it wasn't Logan who would be the on-site doctor. Ideally it would work out best for us to have Logan, especially as most of our employees already have a good relationship with him, but if we needed to go with another doctor, we could definitely do that. But would having an on-site Columbia clinic here at HPG be something that the hospital would be willing to do?"

"I personally think that Logan would do a great job having his own clinic." Doctor Greenley spoke up. "I've been his boss for the last 5 years, and he is an incredible physician. And even having him out of the emergency room, I'm sure that if we needed him, he would be willing to be an on-call physician."

"Oh absolutely! No questions asked! I love my job in the ER!" Logan agreed. "I will even do rounds in internal medicine if that is what you would like me to do. Columbia is my home. I am fully at your service. I will still need to work here at HPG with Rory on various projects, but I will definitely continue going back and forth as needed."

"What about when your baby is born? If you are running the employee clinic, who would take over for you when you take time off?" Samantha asked.

"We would work that out. We can have any of the other doctors at Columbia step in to cover for me. We could also allow the current residents to work in the clinic as part of their rotation through the hospital. I would ask for at least one of the RNs to be a permanent fixture at the clinic, but we can definitely rotate through the residents. Columbia is a teaching hospital. The clinic would be a great learning experience for everyone going through their rotations." Logan answered.

"Well I think this is definitely something for us to look into. Doctor Ainsworth, you are the Chief Of Staff. What do you think?" Kimberly asked.

"I actually really like the idea. Doctor Huntzberger has been a great asset to our medical team since the day he first started as a resident. I am definitely in support of allowing him to run his own clinic. I am confident that he will do an excellent job! Opening a clinic here with no rental or utility fees is a big win for Columbia. We would be able to staff the clinic with our own employees, using all of our own equipment and materials that are sitting in the storage rooms. The way I see it, it's extra income coming in for us from the Huntzberger employees that we would be picking up as patients. It really wouldn't be costing us anything at all. I actually think that it will more than pay for itself within the first month."

"Doctor Jordan? Your thoughts?" Samantha asked.

"I agree with Doctor Ainsworth. I think this is a great idea! And opening the clinic up to Columbia employees as well as Huntzberger would be a great idea. It will take some pressure off our doctors inside the hospital to sneak our employees in when they need to be seen for a sick visit. We can send them right over here instead of trying to double book patients to get an employee seen right away."

"Alright then. Should we take a vote on it?" Doctor Ainsworth asked. "All in favor of opening an on-site clinic run by Doctor Huntzberger, raise your hands . . . It looks unanimous." he smiled seeing every hand in the room raised. "Congratulations Doctor Huntzberger. It looks like you've got yourself a clinic!"

"Thank you! Thank you all!" Logan said excitedly. "This means a lot to me! This will benefit every employee of HPG and Columbia so much!"

"Thank you all!" Rory chimed in. "Would you like to see the space we've picked out downstairs?"

"I would!" Doctor Ainsworth announced.

"Let's all take a little field trip!" Rory said as she stood from her chair, and headed for the door to the conference room. "Right this way!"

_**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Scene 2 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**_

"Congratulations baby!" Rory said excitedly as she followed Logan back into their office after the tour of what was going to be the on-site clinic. The hospital board and insurance company team had left right after the tour, leaving Rory and Logan to head back upstairs alone.

"We did it!" Logan told her. "There wasn't even anyone who disagreed, or wanted to think about it more. Everyone just agreed to hand me my own clinic." he said sitting down behind the large desk that used to belong to his father, but was now his and Rory's.

"I knew they would. We didn't give them any reason not to do it. Especially when I offered them the clinic space completely free of charge. It's literally not costing them anything at all. And they're making money off of it. They would have been crazy to tell you no."

"I was a little bit worried that they would want another, more experienced doctor to run the place."

"I wasn't. You've been at Columbia long enough that they know what a great doctor you are."

"Now all that we have to do is meet with the construction team to get the renovations on the building going, and we will be all set. Hopefully we can open within a couple of months."

"You know, I think your Dad will be proud of this one. He might not be the most proud of you for becoming a doctor, but now pulling double duty as partner CEO and full-time doctor running your very own clinic, right here at HPG, I think he might actually be really happy about it. You are officially the medical face of HPG." Rory told him as she sat down on the desk, facing Logan.

"I don't know. But I'm thinking that maybe we'll wait to tell him until the sign on the door goes up."

"If that is what you want to do."

"I can't believe it's all happening. It was almost too easy."

"You've earned this. You've spent your entire life being bread to run this company, and now here you are, running it, and being a doctor, all at the same time. I am so proud of you! We should go celebrate."

"What do you have in mind?" Logan asked, moving his chair forward, and wrapping his arms around his wife, placing a gentle kiss on her stomach. "Do you have any idea just how much I love you? I couldn't have done any of this without you here with me."

"You're awfully sappy sweet today. You must be feeling guilty for doubting my snow smelling abilities last night."

"Oh shut up, I already more than made up for that one. And for the record, I still think that you are crazy, and I'm not at all convinced that you can smell show. I think you just got lucky that mother nature just happened to drop you a bone with how cold it was. It could have just been a motherly instinct type of thing."

"Oh shut up!" Rory laughed, playfully slapping Logan away.

"I thought you wanted to go celebrate. Are you suddenly mad at me now?"

"No, I do want to go celebrate. I was thinking that I'm hungry, so maybe we could go get some lunch, then maybe we could go do some shopping."

"Shopping for what?"

"Well, Christmas is coming up in a few weeks, for one. And I also need some new clothes. I could barely get this dress on this morning. It's really tight."

"See, and I thought you were wearing the tight dress to seduce me all day."

"Since when have I ever worn something purposely to seduce you?"

"You do it at home all the time."

"Actually, I don't. It's not my fault that your hormones are out of control, and everything that I do turns you on."

"Ok there little Miss Innocent." Logan laughed. "We'll see what Santa puts in your stocking this year."

"It had better be a pony! So far Santa has completely failed at that one!"

"No promises, but I'll see what I can do."

"Mr. Huntzberger, Randy is ready for you." Sandra said through the intercom.

"Alright, send him in." Logan answered, pushing the intercom button on the phone next to Rory.

"Let's go to that place my Dad ordered from that one time."

"Mirabellos."

"Yes! I've never actually been there."

"We might need a reservation."

"So, we can call ahead when we are done here. Maybe being a Huntzberger will actually be advantageous for once."

"If that is what you want, then we can definitely try." Logan said as there was a knock at the door.

"Come on in!" Rory called, getting up from where she had been sitting on the desk, and moving to the large leather chair next to Logan.

"Hey Randy." Logan said as his cousin entered the office. "What can we do for you?"

"How's Uncle Mitchum?" Randy asked.

"He's alright. How are you doing? How's your Dad?"

"I'm ok. Dad is Dad. I was actually hoping that I could ask you for some advice. It's not work related or anything. But I was thinking that with your experience, maybe you could help me with something."

"What's going on?"

"Well, you know how our family is. Everything always has to follow the plan, and be done a certain way."

"And that certain way is usually pretty disastrous."

"Pretty much. But you've always been the family golden boy."

"Maybe to some." Logan laughed. "I haven't been the golden boy for several years. I pretty much lost that title when I told my Dad to piss off and moved to California, and then again when I decided to go to medical school instead of working here."

"But you came back."

"Not exactly. It might look like I'm back, but after my Dad had that heart attack, I conned my wife into taking over as CEO so that neither my sister or I would have to. I might be sitting here, but I'm not the one running this company. That is all Rory." Logan said reaching for Rory's hand. "I honestly don't even like it here. I like being a doctor. But I'm here to help my wife."

"How do you do that?"

"How do I do what?"

"How do you manage to do whatever you want? In this family you are always told how things are expected to be done, and you are expected to fall into line. But somehow you've always just done whatever you want, and you always get by with it. There are never any consequences for you doing your own thing."

"Ok . . . Why don't you tell me what is really going on."

"I'm 23 and my parents have decided that it's time that I got married to this girl that they've decided is 'suitable'. I can't stand her. My Dad says that either I fall in line, and marry who they have put in front of me, or I'll be cut off."

"Cut off from what?"

"I don't really know. From the family I guess?"

"You know that this isn't the 18th century, right?" Rory asked. "You don't have to marry anyone that you don't want to."

"That's what I've been saying. But my dad is insistent on me marrying this girl."

"So you tell him no." Logan told him.

"Dad said that either I get married to who he found for me, or I'm cut off."

"Randy, you work here, right?" Logan asked.

"Yeah, I work in the mail room."

"Where does your dad work?"

"He's on the board."

"Which means that your dad is basically my peon. I don't know why he would be threatening you because it's not like your Dad even has an actual job here. He basically shows up to meetings as I tell him to, and gets a ridiculous salary that Grandpa set up decades ago. Your Dad doesn't control your job here. He has absolutely zero say in anything that happens in this company, or this office. How much are we paying you?"

"Like $9 an hour."

"Are you serious?!" Rory asked, completely baffled.

"Randy, where did you go to college?" Logan asked.

"I went to Yale, like you did."

"What did you study?" Rory asked.

"My parents think that I was a journalism major. I actually majored in mass communications and advertising."

"When did you graduate?" Logan asked.

"This past May."

"And your Dad found you a job in the mail room . . ."

"Yes Sir." Randy answered.

"Randy . . . You have a college degree from Yale University, and you are working in the mail room for $9 an hour . . . Doesn't that seem wrong to you?"

"It does, yes. But Dad said that I have to start at the ground level and work my way up."

"Randy, I made more than you are when I was 10 years old. Your Dad is ridiculously abusing you. Hey Sandra?" Logan said pushing the intercom button.

"Yes Mr. Huntzberger?"

"Would you mind calling down to Advertising and sending Cooper to my office for a few minutes, please?"

"Right away!" Sandra agreed.

"Hey Rory, you'll sign off on a promotion into the advertising department, right?"

"Of course! On one condition."

"Which is?" Randy asked.

"I want you to move out of your parents' house. They don't deserve any say in who you date or marry, much less where you work, and how much money you make. I want you to get your own place, and show this archaic family how the real world works. Can you do that for me?"

"Are you dating anyone Randy?"

"I am. This great girl I met at Yale named Sydney."

"How long have the two of you been together?" Rory asked.

"Two years. But she didn't go to Yale. She went to Connecticut State."

"Do you love her?" Logan asked.

"I do. Very much."

"Then you should marry her. Screw what your parents say!"

"There is no way they would ever approve of that."

"Randy, did you ever hear about Logan's gold digging girlfriend at Yale?" Rory asked.

"I heard something about him messing around with someone not good enough for the family."

"Hi, I'm the gold digging troll." Rory laughed. "We eloped in St. Croix a couple months ago."

"I think I heard something about that. My Dad was saying there was no prenup."

"You're damn right there was no prenup!" Logan told him. "I don't believe in that crap! And as far as your life goes, I don't understand where your Dad gets off threatening you, because he has zero leg to stand on. Rory is the one who controls all the money in this family, NOT your Dad! And if he wants to keep up with the archaic threats and abuse, I might just have to buy out his shares."

"Mr. Huntzberger, you wanted to see me?" a voice asked from the doorway.

"Cooper, come on in. Thanks for coming up so quickly. This is my cousin Ryan. He graduated from Yale back in the Spring with a degree in Mass Communications and advertising. He's been working for peanuts down in the mail room because our fathers apparently think that abuse is ok. Rory and I are promoting him to your team. What position do you have available?"

"I have a sales position available that pays $35k a year, with full benefits and a generous bonus package." Cooper answered. "With bonuses, you have the potential to make around $40-50k."

"How does that sound Randy?" Rory asked.

"That sounds amazing!" Randy answered.

"Cooper, he starts tomorrow!" Logan told him.

"Is there anything else that you need?" Cooper asked.

"If you have any other positions that you need filled, please send them to me in an e-mail. I am going to be doing some rearranging." Logan told him.

"No problem. Thank you Sir. Randy, I will see you tomorrow!" Cooper said, then left the office.

"Alright Randy, here are the conditions of your new position." Logan started. "I want you to find your own place and move out of your parents' house. If you need a job reference letter or anything, just let me know. I'll gladly give you a reference letter for your own place. Then, if you truly love your girlfriend, then I want you to marry her. Forget about your parents, and whatever crap they try to fill your head with. You don't need any of that. You do what is best for you. You don't need any stupid prenup. You do what makes you happy, and as long as you do a good job here at work, we'll have your back, alright? Don't let your parents push you around. Your dad doesn't run this company. Rory does, and I can have your Dad removed from the board in a heartbeat! You do you, and ignore all the archaic crap, ok?"

"I'll do my best."

"Sounds like a good plan. We are heading out of the day, but I'll check in on you tomorrow, alright?" Logan asked.

"Thank you Logan. Thank you Rory." Randy said as both Logan and Rory stood up from their seats.

"Good luck to you Randy." Rory smiled. "I look forward to hearing great things from your new team."

"Do you know how hot you are when you are pissed off at your family?" Rory asked, as she walked to the office door that Randy had just left through, and pushed it closed, making sure to lock it before walking back through the office toward where Logan was standing behind the desk.


	37. Chapter 37

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

Everything about Doctors Without Borders, I borrowed from their website.

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Self Quarantine Day 18 ~~~

Homeschooling my kids sucks!

Sorry I've been slow with updates lately. It's tough being home with two autistic kids who are now being home schooled thanks to COVID-19. I've been busy the last week, sewing face masks for friends who are nurses, and I'm now getting requests for masks from complete strangers in other states. Things are getting bad, and it's starting to get really scary, and everyone suddenly wants a mask. Good times!

I hope this update finds everybody healthy and happy. We are currently safe from COVID-19. We are currently self quarantined in our home, except for my husband who is a manager at an "essential business", so he's gone a lot. Everything is pretty much shut down here other than grocery stores, and fast food. Tomorrow (Tuesday 3/31) Taco Bell is giving away free tacos to everyone who goes through the drive thru, so I hope you all get yourself some tacos! Also, Burger King is still doing two free kids meals with the purchase of an adult meal, so get yourself some of that yumminess too. :-)

I hope you are all doing well, and continue to remain healthy and happy.

* * *

Dear Mr. Huntzberger,

We have received your application, and referral letters, with your request to join Doctors Without Borders. At this time, it is our pleasure to inform you that your skills and qualifications have been reviewed, and we have matched you with an open position in Yerevan, Armenia, for a period of 18 months.

Over the last several years, our teams in Yerevan have been working to tackle resistant forms of Tuberculosis, and have recently began participating in the End TB project; an international initiative aimed at finding shorter, less toxic, and more effective treatments for drug-resistant Tuberculosis. Upon joining our team, you will be part of an epidemiological study aimed at documenting the safety and efficiency of combining the newest treatments for Drug-resistant TB, with direct acting antivirals.

Should you still be interested in joining our organization, and serving those living in impoverished countries, a new team of doctors is being assembled, and will be departing New York city on January 15, 2017. To accept this position and receive our list of recommended vaccinations and supplies needed to take with you, please contact us at the phone number listed above.

Thank you for your application, and we look forward to speaking with you.

"Logan, you need to tell your wife."

"I know that Honor. But I'm obviously not going to be taking the position."

"But regardless, you still need to tell your wife. She will be PISSED if she finds out about it later on."

"I can't believe they actually accepted me! I applied for Doctors Without Borders last year, and last I heard they were still waiting for the rest of my referrals and paperwork from Columbia to be received. I'm still technically a first year doctor, just out of my residency. I can't believe that I was actually accepted. I honestly didn't think they would accept me so soon.

"Well, when you applied, you honestly didn't have very much going on. But now you've got dad in the hospital recovering from a massive heart attack, mom in rehab for substance abuse, a pregnant wife, and a multi-national company that needs someone to run it."

"And a hormonal pregnant sister." Logan added.

"Exactly! You have A LOT going on! I might have been excited about you applying for Doctors Without Borders a few months ago, but now . . . It's just not the best timing. Life has changed a lot recently."

"I know. And there is no way that I would ever even consider taking on this position right now. I only applied for it because I was bored, lonely, and had nothing to do other than sit here and annoy you when I wasn't working."

"Yeah, thanks for that!" Honor laughed.

"But then all of a sudden Rory walked into my life again, and everything completely changed."

"You have the life you've always dreamed of."

"Exactly!"

"So take your mail home, tell your wife about it, and let her be proud of you for being accepted. Then tomorrow morning, you can call and tell these people that you won't be taking the position."

"But what if Rory tells me to take it?"

"Don't be ridiculous. That would never happen."

"You don't know Rory, because there is a chance that it could."

"I somehow doubt that."

"Rory has always wanted to be a foreign correspondent. It's always been her dream to report out of a fox hold in some third world country. Working for Doctors without Borders, is right up her alley. I can actually see her telling me that I need to go. She would want me to experience this, and she would wait for me at home, the entire time."

"Logan, I can see her doing that back at Yale . . . But not now. Not with everything that the two of you have going on. Not with her being pregnant. There is no way she's going to let you out of her sight!"

"But what if she tells me to go?"

"That's not going to happen Logan."

"But what if it does?"

"Do you want me to go talk to her with you? Are you afraid to tell your wife that about this? Something that you applied for months before you saw her again, for the first time in almost 9 years. Months before you got back together, and then suddenly decided to run off and get married? Months before you suddenly got her pregnant on your first night back together? Don't be stupid. Rory won't be upset, and she won't tell you to take the job. Rory isn't going to let you out of her sight! If anything, she will be proud of you for being accepted into the program, and maybe for a split second, she will wish that maybe circumstances were different so that you could go. But there is no way in hell that your pregnant wife is going to tell you to take a job on the other side of the world. Especially not for the next 18 months! Now, take your mail, and go home. Go show your wife what you accomplished today, and then tell her how beautiful she is, and how much you love her."

"Fine . . ." Logan sighed. "But when she kills me . . ."

"I'll help her hide the body, and call Collin and Finn to come clean up all your spilled blood."

"Gee, thanks Honor!

"No problem! What are older sisters for?!" Honor laughed, pushing Logan out of her kitchen. "Oh, take the bag of stuff next to the front door home with you."

"What is it?"

"Just some clothes for Rory. I was shopping with a friend earlier, and bought doubles of all the maternity stuff that I wanted."

"I just bought her a bunch of stuff last week. Why don't you save all of this. Christmas is in a few weeks."

"Oh don't be silly, I already have her Christmas presents all wrapped up. Take the bag home, and give it to Rory. I doubt you bought her anything that's in there."

"And how would you know?"

"Because Rory isn't known to shop at Barneys unless I'm with her."

"That is very true." Logan agreed. "We definitely didn't go shopping there."

"I love you baby brother! Let's do lunch or something tomorrow."

"Love you too." Logan said kissing Honor on the cheek, then heading to the front door, to grab the bag of stuff for Rory on his way out of Honor's house and back to his own. "Hey Ace!?" Logan called as he walked in the door. "Babe? Where are you?"

"Kitchen!" Rory called back.

"Hey, Honor told me to bring you this." Logan said walking into the kitchen, and setting a large shopping bag on the counter next to where Rory was standing.

"What is it?"

"She said she went shopping with a friend, and bought doubles of all the maternity stuff that she wanted. I tried to tell her that I just bought you a bunch of maternity clothes last week, but she insisted that you never shop at Barneys unless she's with you, so I had to bring it to you."

"Yeah, Barneys just isn't my thing. But I'm sure everything that Honor bought is great, and I'll definitely get some use out of it. That's just not a store that I shop in."

"I know that. You have nothing to explain to me. I've known you long enough that I'm used to the way you do things. Barneys isn't your thing, and I am totally ok with that."

"So was that all that she wanted you to come over for?"

"No, she got some mail for me. I still randomly get stuff there after living with her through medical school."

"I still get stuff at my mom's house, and I haven't lived there in years." Rory commented as she reached into the bag of stuff Logan had brought home with him.

"You want to know what I got over there?"

"Was it some kind of junk mail?"

"Actually no."

"Well I guess if you're going to get legit mail sent somewhere other than your house, having it go to family is the best place for it."

"So earlier this year, back in like February, right after I finished my residency at the hospital, I applied to possibly work for Doctors Without Borders. It usually takes 6 months or so to hear from them, after they've received your application, academic paperwork, medical records, referral letters, and everything else. I had completely forgotten about it. Especially with everything that's happened in the last few months. But the mail Honor got for me today, was a job offer, in Armenia."

"In Armenia?"

"I'm obviously not going to take it, but I actually got accepted. I didn't think that I even hand a chance being a brand new doctor. They usually don't take you fresh out of residency. You usually need at least a few more years of experience, but somehow I was accepted."

"Babe, that's awesome!"

"Yeah, it would have been a great opportunity for me. I literally had nothing going on in my life, so I applied, hoping that it would give me something meaningful to do. But then a few months ago, I ran into you at that coffee shop, and then you got hurt and ended up in my ER . . . It would have been great to go to Armenia, but now I have so much else going on. And I wouldn't trade my life with you for anything in the world."

"Did the letter say what the job is?"

"I would have been on a team studying drug-resistant tuberculosis, for 18 months starting in mid-January."

"Wow!"

"Yeah, that's a long time to be away. Especially in an impoverished country."

"If it wasn't for 18 months, I would tell you to take the job."

"Rory, there is no way that I would ever even consider leaving my pregnant wife. Not even for a week!"

"If it was 18 days, I would make you go. I might even tell you to go for a month or two."

"No way!"

"Logan, it would be such a great experience for you."

"I agree. However, you know what is an even greater experience? Being married to you. And having baby Ayribella growing in your stomach. I wouldn't trade either of those things, no matter what job I was offered." Logan said as he pulled Rory into his arms, and kissed her cheek. "I am right where I need to be, and there is nothing that anyone can do to make me leave."

"Maybe you can see if they'll postpone your acceptance until after the baby is born. Maybe after your dad is doing better, we can move out there for a while, and you can take that job."

"Not going to happen. I don't anticipate my Dad being able to run HPG again. Especially not alone. And we have the clinic opening in the next couple months. I am perfectly happy right here in New York. There is nothing else that I could possibly want that I don't have right here with you."

"Are you sure about that? Because it is such an amazing opportunity."

"Well maybe if you are interested next summer, maybe we could go visit some of the Doctors Without Borders locations, and you can write a story about it for HPG."

"We could probably do that." Rory agreed.

"I need to call tomorrow to decline the position, but I'll ask the program director about visiting to write a story after Ayribella is born and able to travel."

"Are you sure you don't want to take the position? Maybe you could take it now and then come home before Ayribella is born, then go back after?"

"Absolutely not! I'm not leaving you, no matter what! I applied for the program back when it was just me, without anything else going on in my life. I needed something to focus on. But everything changed when you walked back into my life, and I wouldn't go back even for a second. You are my life now. You and Ayribella. You two are all that I care about."

"I just don't want you to regret not accepting such an amazing opportunity."

"If there is anything that I would regret, it would be leaving you. I already regret enough in the last 9 years. I really don't need to add anything else to it. I am perfectly happy where I am right now."

"Are you sure? Because really, if you want to take the job, I'll totally support you."

"No way! I'm happy right here with you. So . . . Why don't we stop talking about this, and go find something else to do. Are you hungry? We can go get some dinner, then do some more Christmas shopping if you'd like."

"We actually need to wait on all of that because my Grandparents will be here in the next hour."

"They're coming up today?"

"Yep! Will you come help me make sure the guest suite is ready downstairs?"

"You are making your grandparents stay in the basement?"

"You make it sound so horrible! That's the only other master bedroom in this house. The other bedrooms all have Jack and Jill bathrooms, the room downstairs is an entire suite. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to stay there. I already told them I refuse to let them stay in a hotel."

"How long have you known about their visit?"

"They called while you were at Honor's house. Grandpa has a meeting in the city tomorrow, and Grandma and I never got to go shopping when they were here before because of your Dad's heart attack, so she wanted to spend some time with us. I told Grandma that they could stay for the weekend."

"I'm totally cool with that, but I feel like I need to remind you that I am working 18 hour shifts this weekend. I have one tomorrow, and one on Sunday."

"I did forget about those. I'm sorry Babe!"

"No, it's actually good that your grandparents will be here with you. I was going to ask Honor to keep you company while I'm working, but this is actually better. You can hang with your Grandma tomorrow and then maybe we can do something together Saturday. I'm working 6am-12am, so after I get some sleep, we will definitely have plenty of time. Maybe we can do brunch and then a show or something?"

"Really? You would be up for that?" Rory asked.

"Absolutely! Maybe we can even get our Christmas tree, and your Grandparents can help us decorate."

"I think they would love that!"

"Then that will be the plan." Logan agreed. "Do you want to order some food for dinner, or would you like to go out when they get here?"

"Maybe we can cook them something?"

"You mean maybe I can cook them something?"

"Yeah, that one."

"I'll figure something out. Let's go check out downstairs, then I'll figure out dinner." Logan said as he let go of Rory, and headed out of the kitchen.

_**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Scene 2 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**_

"Rory, Honey, look how amazing you look!" Emily said as Logan and Rory welcomed the Gilmores into their home.

"Hi Grandma! I'm so happy to see you two! Thank you for coming to stay with us!" Rory said hugging her grandmother.

"Are you sure we aren't imposing? We don't mind staying in a hotel."

"Don't be silly!" Logan said cutting Emily off. "Our home is your home! The only reason we let you stay in a hotel last time you were in town was because we didn't have all of our furniture yet, and the house wasn't set up. But you took care of all of that, so you are expected to stay with us now. Casa Huntzberger is your new hotel!"

"Well we are glad to be here!" Richard said hugging his granddaughter, then Logan.

"Rory, Honey, you are just glowing! How far along are you now?" Emily asked, pressing her hand to Rory's stomach.

"Just a couple days shy of 12 weeks Grandma."

"So still no kicking yet?"

"Nope, not yet. But I officially can't wear my normal clothes anymore. We had to go buy maternity clothes last week. Everything is getting too tight."

"Well whatever you don't have yet, you and I will get tomorrow, alright?"

"I honestly don't need anything Grandma. Logan and I went shopping last week, and Honor apparently went shopping with a friend today, and bought doubles of everything she wanted, just to get me the same stuff."

"Don't be silly Honey, there is always more stuff that you need. You can never be too prepared for a baby. Have you picked out a name yet?"

"We did, but we aren't telling anybody until Christmas."

"But you can tell us, and we promise not to say a word." Richard told them, making a zipping motion over his mouth.

"Sorry Grandpa, not a chance! Everyone gets to find out together, on Christmas. You already know that we are having a little girl, so you've got more than enough excitement to keep you going for the next few weeks." Rory laughed.

"Are you guys hungry?" Logan asked. "I've got dinner ready for you in the kitchen."

"It smells delicious!" Richard told him.

"Well let's go eat. What can I get you both to drink?"

"I'll take a scotch if you've got it."

"Chardonnay for me please?" Emily asked.

"Coming right up. Rory, why don't you take them in to the dining room, and I'll get drinks, then bring out dinner." Logan suggested.

"Thank Logan." Rory smiled. "Just follow me."

"Rory, your house has come together so beautifully!" Emily gushed. "I just love how homey it feels."

"Well it is all entirely thanks to the two of you. You are an incredible decorator Grandma! And most of this furniture was your doing."

"Well after 50+ years you accumulate a lot of stuff. We actually appreciate you taking so much of it! We were running out of storage space." Richard told them.

"You know, there is this thing called a garage sale. Or I guess in your case, it would probably be an estate sale."

"Oh don't be silly! I could never sell any of this stuff. Everything in our home has memories attached to it. I would much rather store it until either you or your mother has a use for it, than give it to anyone else. We are thrilled that you have your own home now Rory! You rightfully deserve all of this!" Emily told her.

"Well thank you both, for all of your help!"

"You are very welcome Sweetheart! You know, this dining set was the first one we ever had in our home." Richard said as they sat down at the dining room table.

"Really? I never knew that."

"Your grandmother and I bought this set right after we bought our house. We used it for years, until Emily decided she wanted to redecorate."

"It didn't go with the new curtains." Emily commented.

"Um, call me crazy for asking, but how does a dining set go with curtains?" Logan asked as he set drinks in front of everyone.

"It didn't match the style of the curtains."

"I had no idea that a table and chairs could match curtains."

"Nor did I." Richard added with a chuckle.

"Rory, what is that, that you are drinking?" Emily asked, noticing the fizzy drink that Logan had set in front of his wife.

"It's lemonade mixed with sprite. It is actually very good. The sprite helps to settle my stomach and the lemonade gives me extra vitamin C. It's Logan's doing."

"It sounds delicious!"

"I got sick of ginger ale and needed a change. Logan likes to keep healthy things in the house so I'm eating all the nutrients that I need."

"The benefits of being married to a doctor." Richard grinned.

"Or the curse as I refer to it sometimes." Rory laughed. "He monitors my junk food."

"I can definitely see where that would get irritating. But this baby is already so loved. It's completely obvious, just by looking at you both."

"Thank you Grandpa! That means a lot coming from you." Rory told him. "I am so glad you guys are here! I miss getting to see you all the time."


	38. Chapter 38

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

Everything about Doctors Without Borders, I borrowed from their website.

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Self Quarantine Day 25 ~~~

*** Sorry updates have been slow lately. I'm having to home school two autistic kids, while also sewing over 100 face masks for friends and family.. Unfortunately for me, I sliced my finger open with my rotary cutter last night, and thanks to this whole Corona virus thing, it's not safe to go get stitches, so I'm on the super glue, bandaid, and antibiotic cream train. Unfortunately, it also means that I can't type. I'll try to write more using my phone rather than my computer, but I can't promise how much will get done.

I hope you are all doing well, and continue to remain healthy and happy.

* * *

"Rory, Honey, what do you think about this?" Emily asked, holding up a pink frilly dress for Rory's approval.

"I think that's a lot of lace, Grandma! I'm honestly not sure where the baby will ever wear that, other than maybe once to your house, for you to see."

"You don't like it?"

"It's really not my style. You know me, I'm pretty simple. I don't do lace. And I've never been a pink person either. I know that pink is big for baby girls, but I actually prefer an assortment of color."

"Alright then, we can definitely work with that. Have you thought about a theme for the baby's nursery?"

"No, I have not."

"Do you like flowers? Or maybe animals?"

"What about books? Like . . . Grandma, I've got it! What about The Secret Garden?"

"The Secret Garden . . . I love it! That is actually a great idea! I can just picture it now. Lots of green everywhere with splashes of bright colors in the form of flowers and animals. We can put a large tree in the corner, and incorporate vines and grass, lots of different flowering plants. That is the perfect theme for your baby shower too! Everything will be kind of rustic antique with bright flowers and animals. We can incorporate butterflies and different birds. Rory, everything is going to be absolutely gorgeous!" Emily said excitedly. "We can even use a lot of the same party décor for the nursery. I am so excited! This is just perfect!"

"I love it Grandma! Let's do it! I need to call Logan, give me just a second." Rory said pulling her phone out of her purse while Emily walked through the baby section of Bloomingdales.

"Hey Ace! How's shopping with Emily going?" Logan asked, answering the facetime call from Rory.

"Logan, I came up with the best idea, and I just HAD to tell you!" Rory said excitedly.

"What's that?"

"The Secret Garden!"

"The Secret Garden . . . That's a book right? And I'm pretty sure they turned it into a movie that my sister was obsessed with growing up."

"Just one of my favorite books when I was little. Grandma asked if I had chosen a theme for the baby's nursery, and I hadn't even thought about it yet. We are standing in Bloomingdales, and all of a sudden, it hit me. The Secret Garden! And it's absolutely perfect for a baby shower too! Grandma says everything will be rustic antique with lots of green, and bright pops of color coming from flowers, butterflies, birds and different animals. There are trees, and vines, and moss, and grass. It's wooded and gorgeous!"

"I love it Ace! And I think it perfectly fits with her name.!"

"I do too!" Rory agreed, practically bouncing with excitement.

"It sounds absolutely amazing!"

"Logan, I am so excited !"

"I can see that!"

"Grandma says that a lot of the baby shower party décor we can use in the nursery."

"It sounds perfect!"

"You really like it?"

"I do. I really love it. And I love how excited you are right now. I haven't seen you this excited about anything in years!"

"I can already picture everything, and it's just absolutely incredibly gorgeous! I can't wait to go find everything. I might have to custom order a lot of stuff, but that's ok because we have plenty of time, right?"

"That's right! Go crazy Ace! Get anything and everything that you want. If it makes you happy, then buy it."

"I need to go find a book store!"

"Well then go find a book store! And remember, you have Pinterest right there on your phone to help you."

"Logan, I have to go, I have to call my mom!"

"You do that. I love you Ace. I'll see you later tonight."

"Love you too!" Rory said, then quickly ended the call, before dialing Lorelai's number.

"Well Hello there favorite daughter!" Lorelai greeted, upon answering her phone.

"The Secret Garden!" Rory shrieked.

"The book, or the movie?"

"The baby shower and nursery!"

"I love it! That was your favorite book when you were a little girl."

"Everything will be rustic antique, lots and green and brown with bright beautiful colors everywhere! Flowers, birds, butterflies, animals."

"Yes! I'm in!"

"I'm shopping with Grandma."

"Are you in Hartford? I can meet you there."

"No, Grandma and Grandpa came to visit for the weekend. Grandpa has a meeting here in the city, so Grandma and I are having a girls day and making up for the shopping trip we missed after Thanksgiving."

"Oh Honey, I'm so glad! Did you tell Grandma your idea?"

"Of course! She's the one who came up with everything after the idea hit me."

"Rory, it's going to be completely gorgeous, and absolutely incredible! I am super excited to start working on this!"

"Everything finally seems so real now! The idea suddenly came to me, and I can see everything so clearly in my head right now."

"Honey, I have so many ideas!"

"I know, me too! I just called Logan to tell him. I'm going to be custom ordering so much! I am so excited Mom!"

"Good! That makes me really happy!"

"Crap, I need to go. I think I lost Grandma. I'll call you later." Rory said, then disconnected the call, and went in search of Emily.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Scene 2 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Baby, how was your day?" Rory asked as Logan walked into their bedroom late that night.

"It was a day. We got a couple concussions, a few broken legs, several people needing stitches, people with the flu needing fluids, a few Christmas decorating disasters . . . It was a typical friday. How was your day? How did shopping go?"

"It went great! I'll show you all the stuff we bought tomorrow. I'm sure you're exhausted."

"Pretty much. What are you watching?" Logan asked, sitting down on the bed next to Rory and kicking his shoes off."

"Oh my gosh, so you might completely love this show that I just discovered! I'm only a few episodes in, so we can start it from the beginning if you want to."

"What show it is?"

"It's called The Resident. And get this, there is a doctor who looks EXACTLY like you! He could totally be your twin!"

"Oh really?!"

"He's even got your arrogant cocky attitude down."

"I doubt that."

"You've gotta check this out."

"So it's a medical show?" Logan asked.

"Yeah, but it deals with real life situations. Like things that are actually happening in the real world. And they emphasize medical injustices. But check out this episode that I was just watching. I was laughing so hard, I just about choked on my water!"

"Yeah, let's not do that."

"So look at this . . . This guy here, he's a college professor." Rory said, hitting play on the tv. "Kind of reminds me of a few Yale professors. But he comes in walking all funny, and the doctors and everyone clearly know him. The dude has a history of being in the ER, so they assign the new resident doctor to take over, and they find out that this guy has a bottle of Mrs. Butterworth stuck in his rectum, and the poor newbie has the misfortune of having to figure out how to get it out. And then, to make things even more hilarious, one of the other doctors starts texting the new guy's phone with pictures of other random things that have been stuck in the same place." Rory told him, trying to not laugh too hard while explaining what she had been watching.

"You know, I actually did hear about this show a couple times, but I hadn't had the chance to watch it. But I can definitely assure you that every hospital as that one patient."

"Really?! So you're saying that you have one too?"

"Unfortunately!"

"How many times have you had to deal with him?"

"Quite a few actually. I've been there way too long. It's tradition to give that patient to the new guy. It's good fodder for razzing them later."

"Seriously?! You guys REALLY have a patient who does this stuff?!"

"We've had several. One specifically that has been seen for it multiple times. But the others it's usually just a one-time thing. Their stuff is usually fairly small. But the patients who are repeat offenders, the objects only get larger."

"Ewww! You're serious?!"

"I wish I was kidding."

"Babe, that's just creepy!"

"Tell me about it! The one guy comes in several times a year. I actually haven't seen him in a few months, so he's about due for another mishap."

"What in the world is wrong with people?!"

"Trust me, I will never understand it, and I quit asking a long time ago!"

"Some people's children!"

"Tell me about it!" Logan chuckled.

"Ok, so check out this doctor . . . Conrad Hawkins . . . Doesn't he look EXACTLY like you?!"

"Eh, I have better hair."

"Logan . . ."

"He looks a little scrawny."

"Maybe in this scene. But check this out." Rory said picking up her phone, and pulling up the pinterest app that she had been looking at. "Look at these pictures. This is that guy from other episodes. Here's one from the first episode where he has his shirt off. Look how buff he is. He looks exactly like you."

"Maybe a little, but I'm not that scrawny. I have way more muscle than that guy."

"Logan, you guys look identical!"

"Maybe we look a little bit similar, but I'm definitely more built than he is. And my hair is way better."

"You're just being a spoil sport." Rory said, flipping off the tv as Logan got up, and headed into their walk-in closet.

"I'm kind of hungry, what did you guys have for dinner?"

"Grandpa took us out. We went to an Indian place."

"So there's no leftovers?"

"Sorry."

"What snacks do we have?"

"Same stuff as the other day. You're the one who did the grocery shopping."

"I wonder if Honor is awake and will let me raid her fridge. They usually have all kinds of stuff in the fridge over the weekend, before their chef gets his days off."

"Babe, it's 1am!"

"Look out the window and see if the lights are on over there."

"Logan, you can't be serious!"

"Fine, I'll call her." Logan said pulling his phone out of his pocket, and hitting the speed dial button for his sister."

"Logan? Is everything ok?" Honor asked, answering her phone after the third ring.

"I'm hungry, what do you have to eat."

"Logan, it's 1am!"

"I know that. I just got home from work, I'm hungry, and I don't want anything that we have. What did your chef leave in your fridge for you this weekend?"

"Logan, you have your own house. You're a big boy now."

"So you're saying that I can't come over and raid your fridge?"

"Aren't Richard and Emily staying with you?"

"Yes they are, but they're asleep. It's just Rory and I up. Can I come raid your fridge?"

"You really don't want to eat anything that you have?"

"Nope. And I have breakfast being delivered at 8am. But I'm hungry now. Can I come over?"

"Geez, you're like a drunk college kid, all over again!"

"So is that a yes?"

"Fine! I'll meet you in the kitchen."

"I love you Honor! We'll see you in a couple minutes." Logan smiled, then hung up the phone. "Here's your shoes." Logan said walking over to Rory with a pair of slippers in her hands. "Is your coat downstairs?"

"Yep."

"Let's go then!"

"I can't believe you woke your sister up at 1am!" Rory said climbing out of bed, and following Logan out of their bedroom.

"I can't believe she was actually asleep."

"It's 1am Logan! Of course she's asleep! The only reason that I'm not asleep is because I was waiting for my crazy husband to get home from work."

"Honor used to stay up way later than this, all the time when I lived there."

"Because she had to make sure you got home safe, and didn't need her to go pick your drunk self up."

"That's not entirely untrue."

"Really Logan?! Not entirely untrue? Who are you trying to fool here? Are you forgetting who you're married to? I used to be your designated driver."

"Yeah, you did it one or two times."

"One or two times?! Are you for real right now?!"

"Maybe 3 times."

"Logan, don't make me slap you!" Rory said as she reached for her jacket from the coat closet in the foyer. "I wonder what your sister has to eat. I'm craving Mexican food."

"Maybe we should just go find a taco shop?"

"You already woke Honor up."

"So let's go get her, and take her with us!"

"You're insane!" Rory said as Logan pulled his phone out again.

"Hey, grab your shoes and coat. We're going to the taco shop! Is Josh up?" Logan asked when Honor answered her phone again.

"No, he's asleep."

"Do you want to come, or do you want me to bring you something back?"

"Bring me a nacho supreme with everything on it and a California burrito."

"We'll be there shortly." Logan smiled, hanging up the phone, then walking into the kitchen to grab his car keys. "Honor wants a nacho supreme with everything on it, and a California burrito."

"That sounds so good right now! We need to get taquitos too. And some street tacos. Oh, and a taco salad!"

"Geez, you pregnant people and your cravings!"

"There are 4 of us with Honor and Josh. I'm sure you and I can eat most of that ourselves."

"You probably can. I doubt I can eat more than a burrito."

"Well then I'll share the nachos, taco salad and taquitos with Honor, and you can eat a burrito. I'm sure Honor will share her burrito with me."

"That burrito may be for Josh."

"So we'll get two of them then."

"You pregnant people . . ." Logan laughed as they headed into the garage to get into his car.

"Hey, this is just as much your doing, as it is mine!" Rory said, pointing to her stomach.

"Yeah, it was definitely a happy little accident, wasn't it?!"

"The happiest." Rory agreed as Logan opened the car door, and helped her in.

"You might have just been to gorgeous to resist." he smiled, kissing her, then walking around the car before climbing in himself.

"The same could be said about you, mister not so scrawny kill joy."

"Hey! That's not fair!"

"You're the one who says that hot doppelganger doctor doesn't look like you."

"Because he doesn't."

"We're going to ask Honor when we get over there with all the food. Ten bucks says that Honor agrees with me!"

"My sister is not going to agree with you. She's been looking at me for my entire life. I think she knows how unique I am."

"How unique you are? You're jealous!"

"Jealous of what?!"

"Jealous of the hot doctor." Rory said as Logan started the car, and backed out of their garage. "You're jealous that I think he's hot."

"I'm not jealous of anything."

"You are so! You're jealous of the tv doctor, who looks exactly like you!"

"I think you've definitely got pregnancy brain Babe, because that tv doctor does not look like me."

"He does so! I'm going to pull up photos of both of you on my phone, and put them right next to each other. Honor is going to think they're identical."

"Whatever you say!" Logan laughed. "I think you're losing it."

"How am I losing it?! Maybe I'll just have to post your side by side pictures to social media, and see what everyone else has to say about it. Maybe I'll even tag the actor, and tell him that he's got a long lost twin."

"You are insane!" Logan laughed.

"You know what I just realized?"

"What's that?"

"This might be one of our last late night food runs before the baby comes."

"You aren't even halfway through your pregnancy yet."

"I know that, but we don't do this much anymore. I think this is only the second time in the 3 months that we've been back together."

"And I'm pretty sure that the further into this pregnancy that you get, the more that you will be sending me for food in the middle of the night."

"Yeah, sending you, not going with you."

"I'll just have to drag you with me then."

"We'll see if I feel up to it."

"There's still a lot that can happen. We have another 6 months left."

"I know, but still. That's only 6 more months of it being just us. We won't be able to do this anymore, once the baby is here. We'll have to actually act like responsible adults."

"Eh! Being a responsible adult is overrated!" Logan laughed as he pulled into the taco shop drive thru. "Let's all go back to being brainless teenagers again!"


	39. Chapter 39

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

Everything about Doctors Without Borders, I borrowed from their website.

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Self Quarantine Day 32 ~~~

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend! Mine was pretty uneventful until yesterday when we had tornados rolls through the area. Did anyone else get to deal with that yesterday? We are all ok, and there as only wind and water damage where I live. Half of my city completely flooded last night, which was interesting to see. Tornados touched down in the cities on either side of us, but we were ok. My husband put us up in a hotel while he worked yesterday. He didn't want me alone with two autistic kids, in our 80 yer old home, so we were in the company owned hotel, on the same property he works on. We were able to come home late last night after hubby came home to check on things. Our house is completely fine. The hotel had a tree come down, and lost power for over 2 hours but our house across town was just fine, and never lost power at all. It was just a super LONG day! I'm still completely exhausted, and feel like I've been hit by a truck, but at least we are safe.

I hope you are all doing well, and continue to remain healthy and happy.

* * *

"So why are we going to Stars Hollow again?" Logan asked as they drove down the freeway, heading to Rory's hometown for the weekend.

"I thought you liked The Hollow?" Rory asked.

"I do like The Hollow, I'm just asking why we are going because I don't remember anything being on the calendar."

"That's because I forgot to put it on the calendar."

"You've been forgetting a lot of stuff lately."

"Yeah well, I hear baby brain does that. And iI don't even want to hear any comments about that, because this is partly your fault."

"So are you going to tell me why we are going to Stars Hollow?"

"Oh! Yeah! We've got the Dragonfly Christmas Party in the Hollow tonight, and Mom really wants us to be there this year. And then tomorrow, we've gotta go to my Grandparents' Christmas party."

"And you realize that the hospital Christmas party is on Sunday, right?"

"Yes, that party was actually on the calendar."

"So we are staying in The Hollow tonight?"

"Mom finally put a bigger bed in my old room."

"Oh really? When did that happen?"

"Actually, when Honor and Josh stayed with her to help plan my birthday party. Mom finally decided that having a twin bed in there wasn't conducive to having a married couple staying over. I guess in her own way, she's finally come around to my being so grown up now. I never needed a bigger bed when it was just me coming home, but now that I'm bringing home a husband, and soon a grand baby, I guess I need a big girl bed to sleep in."

"Is everyone still coming to our house for Christmas next week?"

"Guests will start arriving on Thursday."

"I guess it's a good thing we got our tree and decorations up last week then."

"Grandma was so excited to help! She is the queen of decorating!"

"The house looks amazing!"

"It's about to be completely full! Mom, Luke and April are coming up, and I told April that her mom is welcome to join us too. My Dad is coming with Gigi and Francine, and then we've got Grandma and Grandpa."

"That is 9 people and we've got 4 bedrooms available. Are we putting people in the library and offices?"

"You know, I actually hadn't thought of that, but we totally could. We can get some futon couches that lay flat to become beds."

"Where were you planning to put people?"

"Actually, I was thinking of putting my Grandparents over at Honor's house. Mom and Luke can have the big room in the basement, and April and Anna can have the other two, and then Gigi can have the room upstairs. Or if they want to, April and Anna can share and Dad can have the other room downstairs. Or April and Gigi can share. And then Honor can take all the Grandparents since she's only got your dad. I figure they are all friends anyway."

"Do you think that's safe? All the rich people in one house?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Not at the moment."

"I just figured that my Grandparents might be more comfortable over at Honor's. The rooms are bigger over there and they all have private bathrooms. Her house is bigger than ours."

"Did you want a bigger house, because we can find something else?"

"No, absolutely not! I love our house! We don't need anything bigger. You married A Gilmore, I a am perfectly happy with a small house like my mom's. I don't even need our huge house. And Honor's house is massive! I still get lost over there."

"We can always add an extension to ours. We have plenty of land. Or even a guest house."

"I don't think we really need that right now. Maybe down the road when we have more kids, but for right now, I'm happy with what we've got."

"Did you talk to Honor about your Grandparents staying with her?"

"I asked her if it might be ok and she said to give her a head count when I had one. I was planning to do that tomorrow. She's been pretty busy being your Dad's care giver."

"I thought she hired a nurse?"

"She did. But she's still got all his doctor appointments and therapies."

"At least Mom is still in rehab, so she doesn't have that drama to deal with."

"Have you heard anything about that?"

"Not really. Last I heard, Mom was adjusting. They're still trying to get all the Xanax and stuff out of her system. She's been taking so much of it, for so long, that she is completely dependent on it, so they are having to slowly wean her down. It's too dangerous to just suddenly stop it all at once. That could cause her body to go into shock, and she could have some serious withdrawing issues. The seizures alone could kill her. It's a really delicate balance. They are doing the best they can. Honor actually thought about going out there for Christmas, but the doctors don't think it's a good idea. They don't want to add any stress to mom or any other patients, so they are doing their own rehab Christmas thing. We can all video chat with her, but otherwise we won't see her for at least another month until they allow family visits."

"Are you going to go out for the family visit?"

"I was thinking that we could go together. Us, Honor, Josh, and Dad if his team says it's ok."

"I'm pretty sure your mother doesn't want to see me."

"And I'm pretty sure that I don't care what she wants, because you and I are a team. It's both of us, or neither of us. Plus, I've got her therapists working on her hatred issues. Maybe once all the toxins are out of her system, mom will be a completely different person."

"So here's a question, after your mom eventually goes home, how are we going to know that she is sticking with her new lifestyle and not immediately slipping back into her old habits?"

"Trust me, I'm already on top of that. She'll be getting a sober living companion along with Dad's live in care giver. And I'll be hiring all new staff for their house who will lose their jobs if they give mom anything she isn't supposed to have. Plus, there is medication we can have mom put on that will make her violently ill should she slip up."

"Oh I bet she'll just LOVE that!"

"Doesn't matter. It's for her own good. If she wants to be a grandmother, then she gets to do things our way."

"I love how much confidence you have in rehab completely changing your mother..."

"But..."

"She's still Shira. After all these years, it's just hard for me to picture her ever changing."

"My Dad came around."

"But he never despised me like Shira does. Your Dad was at least decent to me. Definitely not my biggest fan, but he at least respected me as a person. Shira has never been anything except horrible to me."

"Well I'm hoping that all her therapists can get through to her."

"What does Honor think about it?"

"We're in the same boat. It's you and Me, and Honor and Josh, all on the same team. Either Mom learns to accept that, or Mom is going to be pretty miserable all on her own."

"Random question."

"What's that?" Logan asked curiously.

"Do you think that maybe now that your Dad had the two heart attacks and is having to go through all of his own rehab, and then your Mom going through rehab too, do you think that maybe they might be able to fix their marriage, and maybe actually have a happy life together?" Rory asked in a timid voice.

"That's a really good question ..." Logan started, taking a deep breath and letting it out with a sigh as he thought about how to answer. "I honestly don't know. I guess maybe it's possible, but they both have to want it. They can probably try some marriage counseling. See if they can find a way to make things work between them. I don't think that they necessarily hate each other, I just think that mom is vindictive and used Dad for the family money in the beginning. But I don't think that Dad is entirely blameless either. I think they were both pretty young and stupid, and mom was running away from the life she was raised in, and saw what she thought was a golden opportunity, and she came up with a messed up plan to get it. I definitely think that she could have gone about things differently, and maybe then her and Dad might have a better marriage."

"How do you think she could have done things differently?"

"Had she not tricked Dad into getting her pregnant so he would be forced to marry her, she could have maybe tried to date him, and woo him like you did with me. Maybe then Dad would have fallen in love with her."

"Logan, I never tried to woo you, or anything like that."

"Oh really?! Because I specifically remember you coming to me, asking me if I was ever going to ask you out, and then you dragging me out of your Grandparents' vow renewal, to go fool around with you because you wanted to go have some 'stringless fun' and you kissing me for the first time because you 'just wanted to know what it would be like'." Logan chuckled.

"That wasn't wooing. That was me being desperate and sick of watching you all over other girls all the time. You were always flirting with me, and acting like you liked me. But even when I practically threw myself at you, doing everything except begging you to take me out, you still walked away."

"When did you ever throw yourself at me?"

"That article I helped you with for the Daily News. You think I just did that to be nice? That night we were talking about Seymour Hearsh, and you mentioned you had to go to s a party your Dad was throwing for him. I bailed on Friday night dinner with my family, making myself completely available to you, hoping that you would ask me to go with you."

"For real? Why didn't you just say something?"

"I did. I told you how lucky you are to get to meet him, and be around him. And how I would have loved to just ask him questions. You totally blew me off!"

"Yeah, I'm not so good with the indirect clues."

"Well I know that now, but I didn't back then. I was sitting there flirting with you, saying everything I could think of to get you to ask me to go, but you just left."

" I'm sorry Ace. I had no idea you wanted to go so badly." Logan said as he reached for her hand, then moved it to his mouth, placing a gentle kids on her knuckles.

"I never tried to woo you. I desperately threw myself at you a few times, before finally giving up the day you decided that you actually wanted to be my boyfriend, but I never once tried to woo you."

"So that was all just be me then. I've always been the one wooing you."

"You've desperately thrown yourself at me a few times too."

"Don't I know it!" Logan chuckled. "Hey Ace, tell me how you feel about this... What do you think about renewing our vows, and having the big fancy wedding you've always dreamed of, in on our anniversary?"

"As in like 10 months from now?"

"I think we can pull it off. You'll be recovered after having Ayribella, and I think it might be fun. We can get married again anywhere you want. You can do it in Stars Hollow, or we can even go back to St Croix if you want to. Or we can go somewhere completely different. We can have a destination wedding in Switzerland or Zimbabwe. Whatever you want to do, we can do."

"You don't think that we should wait? Ayribella will barely be 4 months old."

"We can wait if you want to. I just want to give you the wedding you've always dreamed of. We eloped in the middle of the night. It was a spur of the moment thing, and it was perfect and amazing, but I know that you've always dreamed of having that big fancy wedding with the fancy dress, the big party, and everything else, and I want you to have that."

"Can I think about it?"

"Of course you can. You think about it, and talk to Lorelai. Whenever you decide you want to do it, we'll get married again."

"OK." Rory agreed with a smile, before changing the subject. "When does construction start on your clinic?"

"January second. The construction crew from the hospital is drawing up the plans as we speak, and I should have them by the end of next week. If all goes well, we should be up and running by February."

"Logan, that's awesome!"

"We'll be able to get the clinic opened and running before Ayribella is born, and then we'll both be able to take some much needed time off together. Although, I'll probably work from home, covering for you, while you're out."

"That doesn't give you any time off."

"Yes it does. I'll be home with you and the baby, and you'll be my top priority. I'll take calls and answer e-mails while you are sleeping, or if your mom or someone is there to help. I'll make it work."

"Babe, the entire point of paternity leave, is for you to be able to bond with the new baby."

"I know that, and I have every intention of being there every single second. But babies sleep. I'll only be working while you and Ayribella are sleeping or otherwise occupied and don't need me. 'Doyle and I will figure it out."

"Doyle is amazing to have around! He makes my life so easy at the office."

"Doyle could probably run everything while we are both out. I actually think that he would be good at it."

"I agree! Doyle definitely knows what he's doing. That was a good choice we made, hiring him."

"I actually really like that he handles things and just gives us the highlights later on. We don't get bothered with anything that isn't actually important."

"I know, right?! Unless something needs my stamp of approval, Doyle takes care of it. He's the best assistant I've ever had!"

"I would say that we should give him a raise, but we are already over paying him."

"It's all good, I bought really nice Christmas presents for Doyle, Paris and the twins." Rory assured him.

"And this is why we make a good team, because the only present I've bought is yours." Logan laughed.

"And when did you have time to go shopping?"

"I haven't. I ordered it, and had it delivered to Honor's house."

"You still don't trust me to not open packages?

"Your name is Lorelai Gilmore. I know you!"

"Hey, I'm not as bad as her."

"But I still know you. There is no way that you can sit home with a package that you think might be for you, and not open it."

"How do you know?"

"Because it would kill you. You would be begging me to let you open it."

"No I wouldn't."

"Then you would carefully cut it open, find out what's inside, then tape it all back up so it looks like you didn't touch it."

"Probably."

"See! I know you! You're Little Lorelai!"

"Ok Michel!" Rory laughed.

"And don't even go begging Honor to give you the present either, because you know that she won't do it."

"Mean!"

"Yeah right! You wish I was mean to you! "

"It's fine, I can just go check credit card statements."

"You mean the statements that go directly to my accountant?"

"Why do your credit card statements go to your accountant?"

"Have you ever seen me pay a bill? In the entire time that you've known me, have you ever seen me paying bills?"

"No..."

"Exactly! Because I have someone who takes care of everything for me. It also keeps me from doing anything stupid with my money because I have to actually go ask permission before I can act like Collin."

""Hey Babe, that actually brings up a good point. We've been married for two months, and all of our accounts are separate. I mean, it's not a big deal or anything, we've never even talked about any of this stuff."

"I know. It's fine, you're my wife, we can combine everything if you want to. I already told my accountant that if you were to call him, and needed anything, to take care of it."

"You did?"

"Who do you think has been paying your bills for the last couple months?"

"Seriously? I figured you were the one paying them. I went to log onto the website to pay my credit card last month and it was paid off. I just figured you did that."

"Technically I did. I saw the bill come in the mail, so I faxed it over to Jeremy."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry, I must have forgotten. It's just habit for me to send everything to Jeremy. I don't even look at the bills. Most stuff goes directly to Jeremy, but anything that doesn't, I just open and fax over without even looking at it. I'm sorry if I overstepped. It's just habit."

"It's fine. I honestly just thought that you did it to be sweet, and you wanted to surprise me. I meant to say thank you, but I forgot. Thank you for paying off my credit card."

"You're welcome. We'll go talk to Jeremy after Christmas. He's got some paperwork for you to sign, giving you access to all my stuff in case something happens. If you want to, he can take over your accounts too. Or we can combine everything. Whatever you want to do."

"Ok."

"We'll get it all figured out. I hired Jeremy to take care of everything for me when I started at the hospital. I honestly don't even know how much money I have. Jeremy calls me if there is a problem, and I call him if I want to make any big purchases."

"You really don't know how much money you have?"

"Nope. I used to check all the time, right after I hired Jeremy. But then I got busy and I forgot. Everything has always been paid on time, and I've never had a problem. He goes over the accounts with me a couple times a year, but you know my history with money. If I know how much I have, I'll do something stupid with it. I hired Jeremy to make me grow up."

"I fully agree with you growing up and not blowing money all over the place, but how do you know that Jeremy isn't siphoning money away for himself?"

"That's why I met with him and his team twice a year to go over everything. Jeremy takes care of the bills and my bank accounts, his tax guy takes care of my taxes, the mortgage guy took care of our house, the insurance guy takes care of the insurance policies."

"So what did you do when you had to fill out that paperwork at HPG so you're actually getting paid for being there?"

"I signed it and faxed it over to Jeremy to give payroll the information."

"Part of me just wonders how I never knew any of this."

"Ace, we've only been married for two months. We've been really busy, and I've just taken care of everything. You probably just didn't notice because you're used to me taking care of you, and because you've had a lot going on."

"I'm sure you're right, but I kind of fell badfeel bad."

"Why would you feel bad?"

"I don't know. I guess because you take care of everything and I'm just oblivious to real life, and taking advantage of you."

"How are you taking advantage of me?"

"You're paying my bills, which means that I'm spending all your money."

"Babe, you make more money than I do. If I was worried about it, I would have said something. You aren't taking advantage of me at all. I'm your husband. It's my job to take care of you."

"I just feel bad. I'm a big girl, I should be contributing to the bills."

"Ace, come on. Don't be ridiculous. Everything is taken care of. What's mine is yours."

"But I shouldn't have all this money in the bank while I'm essentially draining your account."

"You aren't draining my account at all. Like I said, if there was a problem, Jeremy would let me know. But if it makes you feel better, I'll make an appointment after Christmas, and we can combine everything. Your name is on the house and the insurance policies. You have nothing to worry about. I

promise! I've made sure that no matter what happens, you will always be taken care of."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that after I got married, I had Jeremy set up my accounts so that if something happens to me, you get everything. Remember when I updated everything at the hospital? I had Jeremy update everything else too. Heaven forbid something should happen, but if it did, everything I have goes directly to you."

"How did you set that all up without me even knowing that you have an accountant?"

"Honor uses Jeremy too. She would have helped you. Try not to worry about anything. I've always taken care of you, and I have no intention of ever stopping." Logan said with a smile. "You have my heart."

"Stop being so perfect. I'm already hormonal, and you're going to make me cry."

"I'll see what I can do." He chuckled as he pulled off the freeway in Hartford, and headed through the city streets toward Starts Hollow. "Where are we going? Your mom's or the Dragonfly?"

"Let's head to mom's. We can figure it out from there." Rory told him, as she reached for her phone. "I'm texting mom to let her know that we'll be there in a half hour. Actually, let's go to Luke's. I'm craving a burger."

"Deal! I'm somehow missing his chili cheese fries."

"See, you're learning!"

"You have me eating like a Gilmore. It's almost frightening."

"Welcome to my life!" Rory laughed. "You'll get used to it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Scene 2 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Rory! Welcome back!" Cesar said as Rory walked into Luke's dinner with Logan about twenty minutes later.

"Hey Cesar, is my Dad here?"

"Luke?"

"That would be him, yes."

"Yeah, I think he's upstairs. You can go check if you'd like."

"Thank you." Rory smiled, then reached for Logan's hand to, to lead him upstairs. "Come on." Rory knocked on the door at the top of the stairs, then slowly twisted the knob and pushed it open. "Hey Luke? You in here?" She called out, entering the apartment with Logan behind her, to see Luke pacing around on the phone, holding up one finger to let her know that he would be right with her.

"Yeah, that would be great. I've gotta go, my daughter just got here. Delivery tomorrow is perfect. Alright. See you then." Luke said, then hung up the phone, and headed across the apartment to greet Rory and Logan. "Hey, what are you guys doing here? We didn't expect you until later today?" Luke asked, hugging Rory, then shaking Logan's hand.

"Hey Dad. We figured we would beat the traffic out of the city, and come see if mom needs any help. But I'm starving, I was hoping that I could talk you into making me a burger and chili cheese fries?"

"Yeah, of course! Anything for you! Let's head downstairs. Does your mom know that you're here early?"

"I texted her when we left the house, then again when we got off the freeway in Hartford."

"She's probably busy setting everything up with Sookie."

"That's what I figured." Rory said as Logan held her hand, helping her slowly walk down the stairs, with Luke behind them.

"Logan, what would you like to eat?" Luke asked.

"A burger is fine, with a salad if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Rory, you need to eat some of that salad too."

"Can I wash it down with a chocolate milk shake?" Rory asked.

"I'll leave that one up to your doctor." Luke said as the duo sat down at the counter.

"I'm ok with it. Do you have any lemonade? I'm trying to keep her Vitamin C intake up, and someone doesn't like orange juice."

"Rory, you know orange juice is good for you."

"Not me." Rory laughed, pointing to her stomach.

"Ah, jelly bean doesn't like orange juice. Good to know. I'll try to remember that while you're here. Logan, what would you like to drink?"

"I'm good with lemonade as well."

"You two are nice and easy today." Luke smiled. "I'll go get your food started and be right back with your drinks."

"Thanks Dad!" Rory said as Luke walked away.

"I don't think I've ever seen this place so empty." Logan said as he looked around the dinner, only seeing one other customer.

"It's almost 11. The lunch rush will start soon. This place will get packed."

"Why don't you text Lane and see what she's up to today? Maybe we can stop by."

"That's a great idea!" Rory agreed.

"Oh hey, Ror, I don't know if your mom told you, but the town doesn't know about your little jelly bean yet. Lorelai decided that it was your news to tell, and swore Sookie, Lane and I to secrecy." Luke said approaching Rory and Logan again, setting their lemonade down in front of them.

"Oh! Good to know! I would have been fine with your guys telling everyone though."

"I know you would. But your mom wanted you to be the one to share the news."

"OK. Well, when I see Miss Patty and Babette, I'll be sure to tell them, that way they'll spread the news for me."

"That's the quickest way to find things out in this town!" Luke laughed. "I'll be right back with your salad."

"Does the town even know that we're married?" Logan asked.

"I don't know. I think so? I mean, we didn't tell anyone at my birthday party, but we were down here for Thanksgiving ... I don't know anymore, it's so hard to keep track of what they've been told and what they haven't. I don't know how Mom does it."

"Well you are definitely showing now, so it might be a little hard to hide it from people, depending on what you're wearing."

"Well right now, you can't see anything with this sweatshirt on. But once I put on ether of the party dresses that I brought with us, it'll be completely obvious."

"I didn't even look, what did you bring?"

"Red sparkly dress for tonight, and that green dress you picked out for me, for Grandma's party tomorrow."

"I like that green dress."

"I know you do. And you'll love the red one too."

"Is it short and tight?"

"It is now."

"How come I didn't get a show before we left?"

"Because you can have a show after the party tonight?"

"Aren't we staying with your parents?"

"If we're quiet, they won't know the difference. Or we can leave the party early ... "

"You play dirty Mrs. Huntzberger." Logan said with a wink as the diner door opened, and Lorelai walked in.

"Hey you guys!"

"Hey Mom! I didn't know that you'd be here?" Rory said as Lorelai walked over and joined them at the counter.

"You texted me saying you were coming for food, then Luke texted me when you got here. I just thought I would take a break to come have some lunch. How was the drive?"

"It was actually good. We beat all the traffic leaving the city." Logan told her.

"That's awesome! I bet the city looks gorgeous all lit up for Christmas."

"I can't wait for you to get there!" Rory told her. "Logan got tickets to the nutcracker Friday night. We are all going!"

"Cool! That will be really fun!" Lorelai said excitedly as Luke walked out of the kitchen carrying a salad for Rory and Logan. "Hi babe!"

"Hey! I didn't expect to see you until later." Luke said kissing his wife. "You hungry?"

"I'll have whatever they're having, minus the grass you just gave them. Unless Rory ordered something weird."

"Burger and chili cheese fries it is!" Luke told her.

"Chocolate shake." Cesar said, coming out of the kitchen and setting a shake down in front of Rory.

"Thank you Cesar!" Rory smiled.

"Cesar, can I get a burger and chili cheese fries too, please?" Lorelai asked.

"Coming right up!" Cesar answered, heading back into the kitchen.

"So Mom, Luke said that you didn't tell the town about the baby?" Rory asked.

"No, I didn't. It's your news to tell."

"You could have told everyone. It's your exciting news too."

"But it should come from you. I'm sure Patty and Babette will be in here for lunch. You can tell them both then. They'll take care of everyone else for you."

"I told Dad and Logan the same thing."

"You know, I know it's been several months, but I still can't get over you calling me Dad." Luke said with a bright smile.

"Technically you've been my Dad for years. Pretty much my entire life." Rory told him.

"I guess that's true. Don't get me wrong, I like it, it's just still so new. I guess it hasn't quite sunk in because I don't see you a lot."

"Sometimes it just feels weird to call you Luke. You've technically been my dad for most of my life, and now you and mom are married, so calling you anything else just feels a little weird to me. I mean, you're my Dad. You're the one who makes me soup and mashed potatoes when I'm sick, you're the one who fixes things at my house, and the one who moved me into the dorms at Yale, into my apartment, and then into the new house. You're the one who has always been there for me, and who caters to my cravings when I'm pregnant, and tells me that I need to eat better. You've always been more of a Dad to me, than my own Dad. And it really means a lot to me."

"And I've always considered you to be my daughter. Even before I found out about April, I always kind of thought of your as mine."

"Really?" Rory asked with a tear in her eye.

"Really. I've watched you grow up since you were a tiny little girl. And I like to think that I had a small part in that."

"You did, you had a huge part in that. Mom might have raised me, but you fed me. You always made sure that I at least ate something nutritious every day."

"Well somebody had to do it!" Luke laughed.

"You're going to be an amazing Grandpa!" Rory told him.

"Papa." Lorelai corrected.

"What?"

"Luke is Papa. Your Dad can be Grandpa Chris. Luke jets gets to be Papa. Nana Lorelai and Papa Luke."

"Is that what you want?" Rory asked, looking back to Luke.

"I'm good with that."

"Alright then! Papa Luke it is!"

"I'm gonna go check on your burgers." Luke announced, then headed back into the kitchen.


	40. Chapter 40

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Self Quarantine Day 67 ~~~

I've had A LOT going on lately! Sorry I haven't posted anything, but I've definitely been writing in the little bits of time that I've gotten.

I hope you are all doing well, and continue to remain healthy and happy

* * *

"Rory! Hey doll! What are you doing here?!" Babbette asked as she walked through the diner door with her husband Morey.

"Hey Babbette! We're here for Mom's Christmas party tonight. We figured that after raising me for so many years, making an appearance tonight was necessary. You guys remember my husband, Logan, right?"

"Of course we do!" Morey answered. "How are you Doc?"

"I'm doing well, it's nice to see you both again." Logan greeted.

"Babbette, Morey, you two here for lunch?" Luke asked.

"Of course! What else would we be here for?" Babbette answered.

"You want your usual?"

"You betcha, Sweet Cheeks! So Rory, Honey, what is new with you?"

"Not too much. Just a lot of working, and a little bit of growing."

"Growing? What are you growing? Most plants don't do much growing in the winter."

"Plants, that's cute!" Lorelai laughed.

"No, we're definitely not growing any plants . . . Actually, we're growing a baby."

"A baby!?" Babbette screeched. "You're having a baby!?"

"We are! A little baby girl!" Logan told them.

"Morey, did you hear?! They're having a baby girl!"

"Who's having a baby girl?" a voice asked, as the bell on the diner door jingled and more people walked in.

"Rory and the Doctor." Morey answered.

"Hey Kirk! Hey Lulu!" Lorelai smiled as their little family was suddenly surrounded.

"Rory, you're having a baby?" Lulu asked.

"I am. A little girl."

"How exciting! You must be over the moon!"

"We are. We are very happy."

"Patty, guess who's having a baby!" Babbette screeched as the diner door opened again.

"Who's having a baby?" Miss Patty asked.

"Rory and the Doctor! They're having a little girl!" Kirk told her.

"Rory is having a baby?!"

"Rory is having a baby." Lorelai laughed in confirmation.

"Rory, Honey! Congratulations Sweetie! When are you due?"

"Right before Memorial day. May 23rd."

"You feeling ok, Honey? You been sick or anything?"

"I'm ok at the moment. The sickness comes and goes. Some days are better than others. But I got the good nausea drugs. It pays to be married to a doctor."

"I bet it does! And a hot one at that! Isn't Rory's doctor just gorgeous Patty?!"

"He looks a lot like my first husband. Especially with that chin."

"Wait for it . . ." Lorelai whispered in her daughter's ear.

"Rory had better watch herself, or I might have to make him number 7."

"Did you hear that Logan? You can be the next Mr. Patty!" Luke laughed as he set burgers down in front of Logan, Rory, and Lorelai."

"As great of an offer as that might be, I'm pretty happy right where I am." Logan laughed, sliding his arm around Rory.

"Well Doctor, you know where to find me if you ever change your mind." Patty told him.

"I'll try to remember that."

"Eat up you guys. Rory, you need to eat some of this salad. And by some, I mean half." Luke told her.

"Yes, Father!" Rory laughed as she turned toward her food, reaching for the fork sitting on the counter in front of her.

~~~ Scene 2 ~~~

The Inn was covered in a fresh power of snow, with twinkling Christmas lights strung along the roof line, and around the windows. Fresh pine scented wreaths adorned the doors, decorated simply with large red bows. Lorelai had gone all out to make the property look like it was welcoming you to the North Pole. There were large candy canes and lollipops lining the driveway, with a large red sleigh sitting right in front of the building, complete with 9 light-up reindeer in front. Everything looked magical as Rory as Logan sat on the large wrap around porch, snuggled together under a thick blanket, enjoying a peaceful moment before guests were due to arrive for the party. Sookie had given them large mugs of hot chocolate to drink, filled to the brim with the warm beverage and marshmallows.

"This place looks completely amazing!"

"Mom and Sookie did a great job!" Rory agreed. "It reminds me of that little Christmas village you took me to in London.

"That place was amazing! Remember how much gingerbread we ate that day?"

"And eating our weight in candy while decorating the little gingerbread men."

"The men or the houses?"

"Both!" Rory laughed.

"We should go back there with Ayribella when she's old enough to understand Christmas."

"Logan, that would be so fun! I bet she would love that!"

"Maybe we can build some gingerbread houses with the family next weekend."

"Little do you know, we're doing that here tomorrow." Rory laughed.

"Sookie's idea?"

"She wanted to do it at the party, but Mom didn't think that was the best idea, so she told Sookie that we would all get together for lunch tomorrow, and build our own little houses."

"Sounds like we've got a busy rest of the trip."

"Pretty much!" Rory agreed as the door opened, and Lorelai walked outside.

"Hey, there you guys are!"

"Mom, this place looks beautiful!"

"I almost feel like I'm at the North Pole." Logan told her.

"You guys haven't even seen the best part yet! There is a cool surprise coming later!"

"Santa Clause?!" Rory asked.

"He'll be here too, but that's not the surprise."

"Did you get everyone sleigh rides again!?"

"Hey! How'd you know?!" Lorelai asked.

"Please, who raised me?! No Lorelai North Pole party is complete without a sleigh ride to see Santa."

"Really, a sleigh ride to Santa?" Logan asked.

"After everyone is here, and has mingled for a little while, we are going to load everybody up into horse drawn sleighs, and go for a ride around the town. Then, when we get back, Santa will be here waiting with presents for all the little kids!" Lorelai explained excitedly

"Is Taylor playing Santa?" Rory asked.

"Nope! I actually hired a friend of Grandpa's. The guy has a business where he plays Santa for any event you put together. He'll even dress up like surfer Santa for a fun Hawaiian style beach party."

"That is really cool!" Logan told her.

"Well thank you! Are you guys ready, or do you still need to get ready?"

"Logan is ready, but I still need to change. Is there a room upstairs that I can use?"

"We are actually all booked up, but you can use my office. Or, if you'd like you can run home really quick."

"I need a mirror to fix my hair and makeup, so we'll run home." Rory told her as Logan moved the blanket so he could get up, then held his hand out to help Rory.

"April may be at the house when you get there."

"April is here?"

"She's staying in the apartment above the diner."

"Really? Why isn't she staying at the house with us?"

"I think she's got a friend with her. She asked Luke if they could stay in the apartment this weekend."

"Maybe next time we are all in town together, Logan and I will stay at the apartment, and April can take my room at the house."

"Luke and I are actually thinking about adding on another addition, and giving April her own room. That way we have a big enough house for everyone to stay in together."

"That's a good idea." Rory agreed.

"You guys should get going so you can get back here on time."

"Do you need anything while we're at the house?"

"Just the two of you and April."

"Call me if you decide you need anything." Rory said as Logan led her down the porch steps to the car, and helped her get in.

"So, I was just thinking . . ." Logan started as he got into the car, and buckled his seat belt. "Tell me what you think about this. I was thinking that if April is staying in town through the weekend, maybe if she doesn't have any plans, she can come back home with us, and go to the hospital Christmas party. She's wanting to get a job there when she's done with school, and it would be good for her to hang around and network when she's got the time."

"I think that is a great idea! I agree, it is a great opportunity for April to network."

"Do you think I should bring it up to her, or would you rather do it or have her Dad do it?"

"One of us should probably bring it up to her. It doesn't matter if you do it, or if you want me to. It's a great idea though."

"I don't want to pull her away from spending time with the family, but I was just thinking that it would be a good opportunity for April to get her foot in the door with the hospital."

"No, I totally agree, and I think that Mom, Luke and April will agree with you too." Rory said as Logan headed down the Inn's long driveway. "Hey Babe?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for helping my sister. It really means a lot to me that you look out for her the same way that you do for me."

"You don't have to thank me. We're family."

"You are an amazing guy!"

"I would do anything for you."

"It's not even for me, it's for my sister."

"I've never had a younger sibling, but I'm happy to help your sisters, just like Honor has always helped me."

"I really appreciate you looking out for them."

"I'm just doing what my older sister does for me."

"Well thank you. I love you for it."

"You don't have to thank me Ace. We're family."

"I wonder if April is going to Grandma's party with all of us tomorrow."

"You haven't taught her to avoid the Gilmores yet?"

"She usually only sees them for holidays. They're at least polite to her. Grandma likes to buy April and I matching gifts."

"Probably because she doesn't know April very well."

"Exactly!" Rory agreed. "But I understand it. I mean, they're not April's grandparents, so it's actually really nice of them to include her."

"I'm glad they've accepted her better than they originally did Luke."

"They've definitely changed for the better. They're more mellow now."

"I think having Ayribella to spoil will mellow them out even more."

"They are super excited!" Rory said as Logan pulled into Lorelai's driveway, parking the car behind Luke's truck.

"They're not the only ones."

"It's nice that everyone knows now."

"And anyone who doesn't is about to, this weekend. Come on, let go get changed." Logan said as he got out of the car, then walked around to help Rory out, and escort her safely into the house, making extra sure she didn't slip and fall in the snow.

"Hey you guys!" April greeted, seeing Rory and Logan walk into the house. "Long time, no see!"

"Hey April! I'm so happy to see you!" Rory said giving her a quick hug. "We need to go get changed for the party, but we had an idea to run by you, when you have a few minutes."

"Ok, sure! We'll definitely have plenty of time to talk and stuff. I'm in town until New Year's."

"Mom said you have a friend with you."

"Uh, yeah, he's getting ready in your bathroom. I hope that's ok."

"Yeah, of course! That is totally fine! I can use Mom's bathroom upstairs."

"We're staying in Dad's old apartment so we don't over crowd this place, but Dad thought it was best to come straight here from the train station, rather than going to the apartment to get everything settled and get ready there."

"It's probably easier to get ready here. This house has more lights and mirrors than Dad's apartment."

"That is very true."

"If you want to, Logan and I can stay in the apartment, and you guys can stay here. We don't mind. I feel really bad that you're staying over there."

"We don't mind it at all, really. It's only for a couple days while Billy is in town. He's only here for the weekend. Lorelai said that you and Logan are leaving on Sunday, so I'll take over your room when you guys head home.

"Actually, that's what we wanted to talk to you about. Do you want to come help me get ready, and we can talk about it?"

"Sure!" April agreed, following Rory to her bedroom to grab her things.

"Hey Dad! Do you mind if I used your bathroom upstairs to get ready?" Rory asked.

"Help yourself!" Luke answered as he pulled a pan out of the oven.

"Let me help you take your stuff upstairs." Logan said reaching for Rory's makeup and dress bag that she had just pulled out of the closet.

"I can take those." April offered.

"I don't want Rory walking up or down the stairs alone." Logan said as April took Rory's things from him.

"I can help with that too. No pregnant sisters will be falling down the stairs today."

"Thanks April." Logan said as April followed Rory out of the room and up the stairs.

"He's really protective." Rory explained as they headed to Luke and Lorelai's bedroom to get ready for the party.

"It's because he loves you. How far along are you now?"

"13 weeks."

"So no kicks yet?"

"Probably not for at least a few more weeks from what I've read."

"Are you at least starting to feel better?"

"Most days. Logan got me the good nausea meds, so I'm doing pretty good. Now that I'm showing he's gotten even more protective."

"It's cute though. He might be really protective, but you can tell how much he adores you, just by looking at him."

"He is pretty great. And I'm not the only person he looks out for." Rory told her as she started to brush her hair, and fix her makeup. "When we found out that you are in town, Logan was thinking that if you don't have other plans already, you could come back to New York with us on Sunday. The hospital is having their big Christmas party that night, and it would be a really good opportunity for you to network with the other staff, and get your foot in the door while you are still finishing school. That way when you graduate and apply for a position in the lab, everyone already knows you. We think that it would really benefit you."

"No, I completely agree! That is a great idea! I can definitely do that! Billy is leaving Sunday morning, so we can drop him off at the train station to head home, then I can go back with you. I was just going to stay with Dad and Lorelai until Friday when they were planning to head to your place for the holidays, but I can totally come up early if it's not too much of an invasion."

"It's not an invasion at all. We love having you there! You can even come help me out at work if you want to. I have a ton of stuff to get done before Christmas, but I would love to have you there to help if you don't mind."

"Count me in then! I still have some shopping to do, so I'll just need a couple of hours to finish up."

"I need to do the same thing, so maybe we can go together."

"Yes! I love it! I'm in!"

"We have the office Christmas party this next week too. You are definitely welcome to join us for that as well. And if you need something to wear, Honor and I both have full closets for you to shop in, unless you want to buy something."

"That sounds perfect!"

"When is your mom coming up?"

"I think Friday."

"Perfect! Logan got everyone tickets to go see The Nutcracker."

"My Mom LOVES The Nutcracker! She will absolutely love that!"

"Oh yay, I'm so glad! We figured it would be a fun thing for all of us to do as a family."

"Most definitely! I am so excited. I love Christmas! It's my favorite holiday."

"Mine too. We are going all out. Apparently Mom had the same idea. The Inn is all decorated to look like the North Pole."

"You two definitely share a brain sometimes."

"Right?! Were you ever like that with your Mom?"

"No. We've always been close, but never like you and Lorelai."

"I'm excited to get to know her. I've only met your mom once."

"You have?"

"I went into her store once, right after we found out about you. Mom and I knew nothing about you or your Mom, but the entire town apparently knew who she was, so I did a little research, and found the store she owned over in Woodbridge, and I went over there to do a little shopping, and check her out."

"I never knew that."

"Only Mom knew about it. I tried to get her to go with me, but she refused, and told me to stay out of it, but I went anyway. Mom was pissed when she found out."

"So you went and met my mom anyway?"

"Yeah, my curiosity won out. Your mom was super sweet. She had no idea who I was. I bought Mom an old Pan-Am Stewardess bag. It was super cool."

"I remember that bag! Mom has always stocked one of a kind things. She's got an obsession with being the only one to have things. She calls it 'only child syndrome'."

"She said that to me. I totally get it! I was an only child until Dad had Gigi, and then you showed up, and it's been great, but I've still always been Mom's only kid."

"Did Lorelai ever want to have another one?"

"Yes and no. It was just never the right time. What about you?"

"No, my mom only wanted one. How many do you want?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. I actually never really thought about having a baby. At least not yet. This pregnancy was kind of accidental. Definitely a super happy accident. We are really excited to be having a baby, but other than my 3 godsons, I've never actually thought about having kids of my own."

"Really? You never thought about being a mother?"

"I've always been so hyper focused on school and my career, that it was never a priority to me. I guess I'm just weird. Most girls dream about when they'll grow up, get married and start a family. I was just never really one of them."

"You never dreamed of the perfect wedding?"

"Not really. I did a few times, when I first started dating Logan. I knew that I loved him, and I wanted to spend every second of my time with him, but it was never my plan to settle down and get married. I always dreamed of being a foreign correspondent, or a reporter at the New York Times."

"So none of this was your original plan."

"None of it. But that's ok, because I'm happy with the way things turned out. I got to work at the times, and now I'm the CEO of Huntzberger Publishing Group, and even though I got fired from the Times while I was on leave a couple months ago, because it was a conflict of interest to work for both, I could now buy them if I wanted to."

"That's kind of awesome!"

"It's a nice thought. Logan and his crazy friend wanted to buy it the day I was let go. They said that his Dad had been trying to buy the Times for a couple decades now."

"That's crazy!"

"Right?! It's nice to know that I could do it, but I really don't have any plans to take them over. I have more than enough to deal with already, I don't really need to take on another large company. The Times can keep running itself. They're only one big paper, I have over 200 papers. I'm much bigger than they are."

"I still can't believe that you are the CEO."

"Trust me, I can't believe it either. Honestly, it's only because Logan asked me to do it. It was always his 'destiny', but he never wanted it, and Logan loves being a doctor. He never wanted to be the newspaper prince. But then his Dad had the first heart attack, and someone needed to step up and take over things, and Logan didn't want to do it, so he asked me to. It's a huge slap in the face to his family, which is just an added bonus. Running the family company is definitely not what I ever wanted to do, but I still get to write whenever I want to, and I can pick any stories that I want. Logan even said that if I want to take on a big international story, we'll head overseas to wherever I want to go, and I can write from there. I can do the whole international correspondent thing whenever I want to."

"That is pretty cool. I love that he supports your dreams. You're really lucky."

"I am for sure. But tell me about you, and about Billy. I didn't know that you were dating anyone."

"Billy and I have been friends for a while. I've known him for a couple of years. We just started dating a couple months ago."

"So you like this guy? You wouldn't have brought him out to meet the family if you didn't."

"Yeah, he's pretty cool. I never actually thought about dating him until recently. We've always just been friends. But then one day we were hanging out, and he started talking about how he loves spending time with me, and he was thinking that maybe we should consider dating each other. He had all these reasons, and they completely made sense. We spend a ton of time together, we are both studying to be chemists, we are both graduating in May, and want to get a job in a hospital lab."

"What hospitals is he looking at?"

"He wants to go to John Hopkins. That's his first choice. Second is the Mayo Clinic."

"Wow! Prestigious!"

"Right?! I thought about applying there, but I actually really like New York, and I want to be close to the family. I was an only child my entire life, until I found Dad, and now I have you, and I love hanging out and getting to know you. And now you're having a little baby of your own, and I feel like I should be nearby and do the fun Aunt thing."

"April, that is so sweet! You should make your career decisions for yourself though. Do what you want to do, and don't worry about what anyone else wants. Let us figure out how to fit into your life, instead of you trying to figure out how to fit into ours. Wherever you decide to go, Logan and I will definitely come visit."

"My top choice is still Columbia."

"Well it if helps, Logan is all over getting you a spot there."

"I appreciate it so much! Columbia is the best hospital in the state."

"That's why Logan chose to go there. Did I tell you that he got accepted into Doctors Without Borders?"

"Really?! That is amazing! When was that?"

"Pretty recently actually. He turned it down. He applied over a year ago, way before we got back together. But now, being married, with a baby on the way, it just isn't a good time for him to go. It would be an 18 month commitment, and we have a lot of other stuff going on right now."

"That is an incredible opportunity though! If you guys didn't have so much going on, I would definitely say that Logan should go for it. Both of you could go."

"If we weren't married, with a baby on the way, I would definitely have pushed him to go. But now . . . We haven't been away from each other for longer than an 18 hour hospital shift."

"You guys are adorable! I hope I can have a relationship like yours one day."

"We weren't always like this. We've been through a lot over the years. We've definitely had some struggles. We've broken up, and gotten back together several times. This last time was the longest we were ever apart, and I actually think that it was really good for us. We were apart for 8 ½ years, and our lives are so different now than they used to be, so we had to figure out how to fit ourselves back into each other's lives, but we're doing it. It was actually really good for us to both get out and figure out exactly what we wanted to do with our lives, without trying to figure out what to do while still being together and trying to fit our career into someone else's life. It's been an adjustment fitting our lives together, but we do what we can to make it work. Logan cut back on his hours at the hospital. He went from working non-stop to working full-time with me at HPG, and 3 days a week at the hospital. And now we are working on opening up a private employee clinic at HPG that is connected to the hospital, so when we get that all set up and open, Logan will be working in the office full-time and only in the hospital as needed."

"I bet he'll be glad to be out of the emergency room."

"Yes and no. Logan loves his job, but it'll be better for us with the baby, for Logan to have a more normal schedule."

"When do you think the private office will open?"

"We are hoping for February. It would have been nice to get open in January, but we didn't think of doing it soon enough, to get all the construction done, and everything set up. The insurance coverage was actually the easiest part of the whole thing because HPG and the hospital use the same company for their employees, so adding one more office was basically just a mouse click. Getting the office remodeled and set up is a ton of work, but we are finding ways to get things done quickly, so we can get open as soon as possible."

"Is Logan excited to have his own private office?"

"He is. It's become his dream. Logan has always wanted to have a family of his own, so he's really looking forward to being able to be in the office with me and the baby all the time, and having his own medical clinic that he can work in during normal business hours, whenever he's needed by one of the employees of either HPG of Columbia Presbyterian. Everyone will be able to set their appointments either online, or over the phone, and Logan won't have to be in the ER running around like a chicken with its head cut off. He'll be able to work on different HPG projects, and then take a break to see patients whenever they need him."

"So you guys are taking the baby to work with you?"

"At first, yeah. I can work from home as much as I need to, but if I'm needed in the office, I can either take the baby with me, or leave her with Honor. I figure that until she's mobile and running around everywhere, I'll take her with me, and have Honor there to watch her if I need to go into a meeting or whatever. Babies cry, and it's distracting and everything, but then again, it's one of those things that you can't control. And if for some reason we have a day where the baby just cries and cries, and we can't get her settled down, then we'll either stay home, or take her home. But I think that having her with us for the first year, is completely reasonable. I can set up a playpen for her to hang out in, or I can wear her in a carrier. I'm really lucky to have a job that is flexible enough for me to be a mom, and for me to be there for my family. Logan's dad's first priority was always his job, but we are doing things differently. Our family is our priority, so we've taken steps to delegate things out to other people to make it so that we aren't so swamped and tied down with work the way that Mitchum always was. Our relationship, and our family are our top priority, and we do whatever we can to make sure that we can be out of the office when we need to be."

"I would say that you are really lucky to work for a company that is conducive to having a family, but you are actually the one making the company that way."

"It's the way things should be. Everyone should be able to make their families their priority. Having a career is important, but I learned from my mom that being a mom is super important too. My mom has always been there for me the second I needed anything. Even now. All we have to do is call or text, and my mom jumps to take care of things."

"And that's the kind of Mom that you want to be."

"Yeah, of course. I had an amazing childhood, and I want my family to have that too."

"Girls, it's time to go! Are you two ready yet?" Luke yelled up the stairs.

"I'm just finishing up. We'll be there in a minute." Rory called back. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm just here to help you. What do you need me to do?"

"Will you text Logan and ask him to grab my shoes?" Rory asked as she walked back into the bedroom to where she had hung her dress.

"I'm actually right here, can I come in?" Logan asked from outside the bedroom door that was cracked open.

"Yeah, of course. Come on in."

"Your shoes are downstairs next to the couch. I figured walking down the stairs in heals might not be the easiest thing in the world."

"Good call. I just need to get my dress on."

"Do you need help or should I meet you downstairs?"

"I'll meet you guys downstairs." April said, then quickly slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"I just need a little help zipping up." Rory answered as she removed her dress from the hanger, and handed it to Logan, then quickly slipped her clothes off.

"You look beautiful."

"I don't have any clothes on."

"My favorite outfit!" Logan smiled, giving Rory a quick kiss, then helping her into the red sparkly dress she had brought with them, to wear to the party at the Dragonfly.

"Thanks Babe."

"So can I still get a private party later?" Logan asked, admiring how his wife looked in the tight dress as he moved to zip her up.

"I think that can definitely be arranged."

"This dress looks incredible on you."

"It's not too tight?"

"No. It definitely shows that you're pregnant though. But as long as you can move and sit down, I think you're ok."

"You don't think it's slutty?"

"You will never look slutty to me. You're beautiful." Logan said as he wrapped his arms around Rory, gently rubbing her protruding stomach. "You and Ayribella look amazing."

"You look pretty amazing yourself." Rory smiled, admiring their reflection in the full-length mirror that Lorelai had in the corner, outside her bathroom door.

"Are you ready to go?"

"I just need to slip my shoes on."

"Let's go then." Logan said reaching for Rory's hand, placing a gentle kiss on it, then escorting her out of the bedroom and down the stairs.


	41. Chapter 41

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Self Quarantine Day 70 ~~~

Our air conditioner died yesterday. It's 81 degrees inside my house, and 90 outside. This pretty much sucks!

I hope you are all doing well, and continue to remain healthy and happy.

* * *

Lorelai was beaming as she walked through her Inn, seeing all of her favorite people mingling with the guests that were staying for the weekend. She had gone all out with the decorations this year, turning the Inn into the North Pole, decorating the inside to look like Santa's workshop. It was her favorite time of year, and since she was going to be spending the holidays in New York with Rory and Logan, she hadn't done much decorating at her house, instead focusing all of her time and creativity exclusively on the Dragonfly. There were Christmas trees in the corner of every room, large trees downstairs, and small table top trees in the guest rooms. Lorelai had strung garland along the stairs, with ribbons, holly, and stockings for every person on staff. There were twinkling lights and colorful decorations everywhere you looked, and even mistletoe hung from the ceiling in the corner of the library. The dining room looked especially festive, with every holiday food favorite on the tables, ready to be eaten. There was turkey and ham ready to be eaten, along with yams, stuffing, potatoes and gravy, rolls, beans, several kinds of casserole, and every vegetable you could possibly get your hands on during the winter. It all smelled completely amazing, and Lorelai couldn't wait to dig in with her guests. She was just waiting for Sookie to say she was ready, so they could announce dinner to their guests. Lorelai walked over to the reception desk and smiled at the dancing Santa that played Feliz Navidad. She had loved it when she saw the Santa sitting on the shelf in a Christmas store, and immediately bought two of them, planning to give one to Rory as an early Christmas gift.

"Lorelai, this place looks absolutely amazing! You did an incredible job!" April said as she joined Lorelai at the desk, admiring their gorgeous surroundings.

"Thank you April! I think I've definitely outdone myself this year. I love it all!"

"Thank you so much for inviting me!"

"It wouldn't be Christmas without you here. I'm so glad the entire family will be together this year."

"I see that. Aunt Liz! Hello! Hi Doula! Wow, you looks just like your Mom!" April said seeing Luke's sister and niece walk in the door, followed by the rest of their family.

"April!" Doula cheered, running to April and throwing her arms around her older cousin's waist.

"April, you look gorgeous!" Liz told her, giving her niece a hug. "Merry Christmas!"

"Thank you! Merry Christmas to you!"

"Jess, TJ, look who's here!" Liz said, calling behind her to her husband and son.

"April, hello!" TJ smiled.

"Hey Cuz! Long time, no see." Jess greeted her, giving her a brief hug. "Hey Lorelai."

"Hi Jess. It's nice to see you again. Thank you all so much for joining us!"

"Oh, it's our pleasure! Lorelai, this place looks absolutely incredible! I feel like I took a trip to the North Pole to visit Santa's house."

"Well thank you! That is exactly what I was going for."

"I love it! It's everything you see in pictures of Santa's workshop. Did you do all of this yourself?"

"I did."

"Wow! You are so creative! You should be a professional decorator."

"Thank you, you are so sweet!"

"Did Rory make it back this year?"

"She did. She's here somewhere, with her husband."

"Luke told me she married a doctor."

"She did. She's known him for years."

"So you like this guy?"

"I do, he's really good to her. I wasn't thrilled with him when they first met, but he's changed a lot, and he makes her incredibly happy."

"When did she get married?"

"A couple months ago. It was spur of the moment thing, but it's been a long time coming. They promised to do a big ceremony and party for everyone to enjoy, sometime next year."

"That sounds so fun!"

"I'm definitely looking forward to it. I was pretty bummed when she told me that they ran off and eloped, but I understand it. And I've been there, so it's not like I can be upset about it. She is my daughter after all."

"You are such an amazing mother! Rory is very lucky to have you."

"Thank you Liz, you are so sweet!"

"Excuse me, Lorelai, can I borrow you for a minute?" Sookie asked, stepping up behind Lorelai. "Hey Liz! It's nice to see you!"

"Hey Sookie!" Liz greeted. "You guys did amazing decorating this place! It looks incredible! And it smells even better."

"Thank you Liz! We should be ready to eat very soon. Lorelai, I just need you in the kitchen for a quick minute."

"Sure, lead the way." Lorelai said, then followed Sookie back to the kitchen.

In the library, Rory was hanging out with Logan chatting with Babbette and Patty about her pregnancy when Doula and Liz came over to say hi.

"Rory, welcome back!" Liz said as she joined the group.

"Hey Liz! It's great to see you. Hi Doula!" Rory smiled.

"How are you doing? Your mom and Luke told me that you got married recently. Congratulations!"

"Thank you so much! This is my husband, Logan Huntzberger. Logan, this is Liz, she's Luke's younger sister, and this is her little girl, Doula."

"Hi Liz, it's a pleasure to meet you." Logan said holding out his hand to shake hers in greeting. "Hi Doula. That is a pretty dress you're wearing. Red is my favorite color."

"Thank you." Doula smiled shyly.

"Hi Logan. It's great to meet you. I hear you are a doctor." Liz told him.

"Yes, I am."

"That is so cool! What kind of doctor are you?"

"Right now I work in the ER, but I majored in Immunology and Genetics, and got my MD in Internal Medicine. I'm actually opening up my own clinic soon, so I will only be in the ER for a couple more months."

"Oh wow! That sounds like a ton of work!"

"It really is. But I love it!"

"Lorelai says you two have known each other for years."

"Yes, we have." Rory answered. "We met back in college."

"Did you guys date back then?"

"We did, for 3 years."

"So he's the one who asked you to marry him at your graduation then?"

"Wow, you heard about that?"

"I didn't hear too much. Just that you were asked, but that you split up, and went out on the road working for Obama."

"Yeah, it's a long story. I wasn't ready to get married back then. But it's been almost 9 years, and things change, you know?"

"And now I see that you're pregnant?"

"I am. Due in May."

"That is so awesome! Congratulations Honey! Babies are so exciting! You will be a great mom, just like Lorelai."

"Thanks Liz, that means a lot to me." Rory told her.

"Mommy, I'm hungry." Doula said, tugging on Liz's hand.

"Sorry, excuse us. We're going to go find something to eat." Liz said, then led Doula away.

"Is it bad that I forgot that Luke has a sister?" Logan asked as they watched Liz walk away. "Should we invite them to join us for Christmas too?"

"Uh . . . They probably have plans . . ." Rory said softly, as her eyes locked on something across the room.

"What's wrong?"

"Um . . . You remember Luke's nephew Jess, right?"

"Jess? Like the guy you dated before me? The one I met back at Yale?"

"Yeah . . . Um, that's him over there with Luke."

"Did you know that he was coming?"

"No, no one told me. I wonder if Mom and Luke even knew. He's Liz's son, so I'm sure he's here with her . . ."

"Liz is his Mom?"

"Yep."

"Interesting."

"Logan, I'm sorry. I had no idea they would be here. I would have told you right away."

"It's fine." Logan said, wrapping his arm around Rory's shoulders.

"Really?" Rory asked, looking up at him.

"You've got my ring on your finger, right?"

"Yeah . . ."

"So then I won! He showed up all those years ago, we both acted like jerks, but you married me, so I won. I got the girl that we were both in love with."

"So you're really not upset about him being here?"

"You said he's Luke's nephew, right? Which makes him family. So we probably shouldn't be surprised when we run into him at events and stuff."

"That's a good point. But inviting them to our house for Christmas . . . That's a little much don't you think?"

"Yeah, I don't think I'm too comfortable spending Christmas with your ex-boyfriend."

"Me either."

"At least not this year. I might have won, but he's still your ex."

"But you're ok with him being here?"

"I'm fine with it if you are. I mean, I don't have anything to worry about, right?"

"No, of course not. I married you, didn't I?"

"Then I have nothing to be jealous of."

"So you're not going to snap and suddenly turn into asshole caveman Logan?"

"I have no reason to. I promise, I'll be nice." Logan told her.

~ ~ ~ Meanwhile . . . ~ ~ ~

"Hey Luke, who's that guy over there with Rory?" Jess asked his uncle, as they stood, talking in the foyer.

"That would be her husband, Logan." Luke answered.

"Her husband? Rory is married?"

"She got married a couple months ago. You didn't know?"

"No."

"Oh! I thought that Liz would have told you."

"Mom didn't tell me anything. The last time I was around, was at your wedding, and I only briefly talked to Rory then, and she said she wasn't dating anyone."

"They ran into each other a few months ago when Rory got hurt at work."

"Rory got hurt at work?"

"Yeah, but she's fine. She had a little accident, and some scissors went through the palm of her hand."

"That sounds super painful."

"She said it was. But she's fine now. He bandaged her up, and they got back together a couple days later."

"He bandaged her up? Did she at least go see a doctor?"

"He's the doctor. The ambulance took Rory to Columbia Presbyterian, and Logan was the doctor on duty."

"Wow! So she definitely married rich then."

"Rory is worth way more than he is."

"She is? But isn't he from a rich family or something?" Jess asked.

"I don't really know all the details, but he bailed on the family, went to medical school, and his parents don't support him. After he got back together with Rory, his Dad had a heart attack, and Logan refused to step up to take over the family's company, so he talked Rory into doing it. She's now the CEO and worth millions."

"Rory is worth millions?! I thought she worked for the New York Times?"

"She used to."

"Wow! That's a lot of changes since I last saw you all over the summer."

"Yeah, things have been a little crazy around here."

"I can see that."

"Please be nice to them. Rory is really happy, and Logan treats her really well. Even Lorelai likes him."

"Wait, Lorelai likes him? I thought Lorelai hated that guy?"

"She used to. She definitely wasn't his biggest fan when they first got together, but he's changed. Lorelai sees a lot of herself in him. And he treats Rory really well, which is all that matters. They're happy, and they have a really good life together."

"So you don't hate him?"

"I have no reason to. He knows that I'll hunt him down if he dares hurt her, but so far I haven't had any reason to."

"So you think it's safe if I go say hi?"

"I think it's probably rude not to."

"You don't think he'll try to kill me?"

"I think he probably knows a lot of different ways to do it, and that he could easily get by with it if he wanted to. But there are an awful lot of witnesses here, so he would be crazy to try."

"Gee, thanks Luke!" Jess laughed.

"Just be polite. Don't say anything to upset Rory. This is the happiest that I've ever seen her."

"Hey Everyone!" Lorelai's voice rang out above all of the noise, and everybody turned to see her standing tall on the beautifully decorated stairs. "I just wanted to say thank you all for being here tonight, to celebrate the holidays with us. There is nothing that I love more, than being surrounded by all of my favorite people. Everyone here tonight means a lot to all of us here at the Dragonfly Inn, and because of that, we just wanted to be able to say thank you with this amazing party tonight. So I hope you all enjoy yourselves, and please, eat up. Dinner is served in the dining room, and there is TONS of food, so stuff your faces all you want."

Several cheers rang out, as people started heading to the dining room to eat.

"Well well well, if it isn't Rory Gilmore, the smartest girl in Stars Hollow." Jess said, stepping up next to Rory and Logan.

"Ha! I don't know about being the smartest girl in the Hollow, April can definitely give me a run for that title. It's nice to see you, Jess. You remember Logan, right?"

"I do. I hear you two got married recently. Congratulations."

"Thank you!" Logan smiled.

"What are you up to these days?" Rory asked.

"Not much, just working a lot. Same as before. Nothing like what I've heard you've been up to lately. Your life sounds a little insane."

"That is definitely one way to look at it." Rory laughed.

"Luke said you had a little accident at work."

"Yeah, I did. I knocked my tool caddy off my desk while setting down my coffee cup, and stupidly reached out trying to catch stuff as it fell, and my scissors went right through my hand."

"Ouch! That sounds really painful."

"It was. But Logan stitched it all up, and put me in a cast for a few weeks. It's healed really well, but it's going to be scared for a while."

"You got a cast with your stitches? That sounds odd."

"Somebody knows me too well." Rory chuckled, pointing her thumb toward Logan.

"I had to immobilize her hand so she couldn't use it, or she would have gone right back to working, popped all of her stitches, and bled out.

"Sounds about right for Rory. Luke says you're a doctor now."

"I am."

"That's a lot of studying."

"You're telling me! Hey Ace, I'm going to go grab some food, do you want me to get you a plate?" Logan asked, looking at his wife.

"Yeah, that would be great. I'll eat whatever."

"Alright, I'll be right back."

"Thanks Babe!" Rory smiled, giving Logan a quick kiss, then watching as he walked away.

"So you're happy?" Jess asked.

"Yeah, of course."

"So things are good then?"

"Everything is great!"

"I heard you don't work for the Times anymore."

"Not for a few months. I took over as CEO for the Huntzberger Publishing Group."

"I heard something to that extent. Care to elaborate?"

"Logan's Dad had a massive heart attack, and has been out recovering. He's not able to work, so they needed someone to step up to run the company, and neither Logan or his sister Honor wanted to do it, but they didn't want the company falling into anyone else's hands, and not having a family member running the place, so Logan asked me to step in. I know the newspaper business pretty well, and Logan has been right there helping me learn everything else as much as he can."

"And you're pregnant on top of everything."

"Yeah." Rory laughed, moving her hands to rub her baby bump. "There's been a lot going on lately."

"Do you know what you're having yet?"

"We're having a little girl."

"Another Gilmore girl. I bet Lorelai is excited."

"Oh yeah. The entire family is over the moon. Logan's sister is pregnant too. It's pretty cool. She lives across the street from us, so we hang out with her a lot."

"Where are you living now?"

"We have a house right outside Manhattan. Are you still in Philadelphia?"

"Yep, still in the city. Nothing has really changed for me lately."

"You still running the publishing house?"

"I am. It's going really well. We've grown a little bit."

"Hey, growth is good."

"Yeah, it's definitely good. We're nowhere as big as your company though."

"Yeah, HPG is pretty insane. You know, you can hit me up if you ever need help with anything. I don't know everything about book publishing, but I'm learning as I go. We have a large in house book department."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. You guys are kind of our competitor though."

"I know, but I promise to do my best to not steal any clients from you."

"Thanks, I appreciate that . . . You might not know this, but Mr. Huntzberger tried to buy us earlier this year."

"He did?"

"He made us a decent offer, but I didn't like the idea of selling to Logan's family, so I talked the guys into turning him down."

"Until I took over, Logan had nothing to do with the company."

"But still. After what happened the day I met him, I couldn't stand the thought of being a part of that company. I don't want to have that name hanging over my head. No offense to you of course."

"No, I totally get it. Until a few months ago, I couldn't fault you for that at all. I had no interest in ever being a part of the company until Logan talked me into taking over. It's kind of a slap in the face to the family members that treated me badly. I now own them."

"That's pretty awesome!" Jess agreed.

"Hey Logan. Where's Rory?" Lorelai asked as Logan stepped up next to her in line for the buffet.

"She's back in the library talking to Jess."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that he was coming. I would have given you guys a heads up."

"Don't worry about it, everything is fine. Rory and I were fine."

"Really? You're fine? Because last I heard, you guys got into a fight last time you were in the same place at the same time."

"That was a long time ago. I was a completely different person back then. I'm not the same jealous guy that I was back at Yale."

"You're not?"

"You've gotta grow up sometime, right? Besides . . . I already won. Rory married me. She's got my ring on her finger, and my daughter in her stomach. I won the girl that we were both in love with."

"So you're ok with them talking over there?"

"Yeah. I was polite to him, and said hi. I just don't really have any interest in having an in depth conversation with the guy, so I thought it would be better if I walked away to get us some food."

"That was really big of you."

"You don't think that I have anything to worry about, do you?"

"Absolutely not!" Lorelai told him. "You said it yourself, Rory has your ring on her finger, and your daughter in her stomach. She's the happiest I've ever seen her. Jess is just an old friend."

"But sometimes it's the old friends that you have to look out for."

"You can trust Rory though. There's nothing going on between her and Jess."

"I know he's family, but is it bad that he still kind of rubs me the wrong way?"

"Don't tell anyone this, but he rubs me the wrong way too. That guy treated Rory like trash. Even during your worst moments, you still treated my daughter better than he did."

"Thanks Mom. That means a lot to me."

"Come on, let's go get some food. You don't need to stand around watching them chat. I'm sure Rory will tell you about it later." Lorelai said as she handed Logan a plate. "What do you think we should get for Rory?"

"Everything looks and smells completely amazing!"

"Sookie has been cooking for days. She made everything she could think of."

"I think there are too many choices. I might have to eat everything in sight."

"Just eat like a Gilmore."

"I wish I had the Gilmore appetite." Logan laughed as he started loading food onto a plate. "I'm thinking I should just load up plates with a little bit of everything, and then Rory and I can share."

"Smorgasbord sounds perfect!" Lorelai agreed as she followed Logan down the line of tables covered in food.

"I can come back for seconds and thirds and tenths, right?"

"You can take home all the leftovers too."

"Have I told you that I love being part of this family?!"

"I have to say that I completely agree with that statement! Make sure you grab a bunch of those mini taquitos. They're Rory's favorite. And get a bunch of the funeral potatoes too."

"What are funeral potatoes?"

"Seriously?!"

"I've never heard of that."

"That casserole bowl right in front of you with the hash brown looking stuff. Load up on it. Like get an entire plate. You'll thank me later."

"They look really good."

"They're amazing! Sometimes I still forget that you were raised on rich people food like I was, and you haven't quite acclimated to the common folk life the way that Rory and I have."

"I had never had casserole before meeting you guys."

"Casserole is just a fancy word for mixed foods. You've probably never eaten vegetables topped with cereal."

"Sounds disgusting."

"Don't knock it until you try it. Get the green bean casserole right there to your right. You've had candied yams, right?"

"That I have had. I've even had them soaked in Bailey's."

"Sounds dangerous."

"It was interesting for sure."

"Rich people food can be pretty disgusting!"

"You're telling me!" Logan laughed.

"Why don't you go set these two plates down on a table, and grab Rory, and I'll work on finishing up this plate for you."

"Thank you Lorelai. I really appreciate everything you do for us."

"Hey, it's my pleasure. Go get your wife." Lorelai said gesturing for Logan to head toward where Rory was still standing in the library talking to Jess.

"Hey April, are these seats taken?" Logan asked approaching the table April was sitting at, chatting with Babbette.

"Nope, they're all yours."

"Thanks. I'm going to go grab Rory. I'll be right back."

"I can go get her for you, if you'd like."

"That's ok, you're already settled. I'll grab her." Logan said as he set the plates down, then headed through the dining room and back to the library. "Sorry, excuse me Jess. Rory, I've got your dinner all ready for you." Logan said as he interrupted the conversation, and slid his arm around his wife.

"Oh, excellent! Thanks Babe!"

"You should go eat. I've heard that being pregnant makes you permanently hungry." Jess told her.

"Among other things." Logan commented with a smirk, placing a kiss on Rory's head.

"Please, I don't see you complaining!" Rory laughed playfully slapping Logan's chest.

"Right . . . I think I'm going to go get some food. I'll catch up with you later." Jess said, then hurried away.

"You ready to eat?" Logan asked.

"You're not going to ask what we talked about?"

"Nope. I figured you would tell me later on. Your mom and I got a smorgasbord of food. I've got seats at a table with April."

"Thanks Logan!" Rory smiled, looking up at Logan and giving him a quick kiss.

"Lorelai pointed out some new foods for me to try."

"New foods? Like what?"

"Something called funeral potatoes and cereal covered green beans."

"Really?! There are funeral potatoes?!" Rory asked excitedly.

"Your mom said that I'll thank her later."

"Oh my gosh! I am so excited! You will definitely thank her for those, they are so good!"

"They must be for how excited you suddenly are."

"I guess I need to get more acclimated with what your mom calls 'common folk food'."

"Common folk food is the best food! It's not anything fancy, just really simple common things combined together that taste completely amazing!"

"Should we go eat?"

"Lead the way." Rory smiled, taking Logan's hand, to follow him to the dining room.


	42. Chapter 42

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Self Quarantine Day 71 ~~~

Our air conditioner died two days ago. It's 81 degrees inside my house, and 90 outside. It's hot as hell trying to sleep at night. With our HVAC unit down and the disadvantage of living in the south central US, the humidity is causing mold. This majorly sucks! I'm attempting to pass the time by writing. I literally have nothing else to do.

I hope you are all doing well, and continue to remain healthy and happy.

* * *

"Hey Rory, is it ok if my Mom come on Wednesday, instead of Friday?" April asked, walking into Rory's bedroom where she was sitting on the bed folding laundry.

"Yeah, of course! That would be great!" Rory said, seeing April holding the phone to her ear. "Are you talking to her right now?"

"Yeah, do you want to say hi?"

"I would love to!"

"Mom, I'm putting you on speaker. Rory wants to say hi." April said, plopping down on the bed next to her sister, and hitting the button on her iPhone, to put it on speaker, then setting the phone on the bed.

"Hi Anna, how are you?" Rory asked.

"I'm good Honey, how are you? Are you guys all ready for Christmas?"

"I'm doing great! We're almost ready. April and I are going to be doing some more shopping later today. I am so excited that you are coming to visit! Is there anything that we can do or get for you, to make your visit easier or more comfortable?"

"Thank you Sweetie, but I'm pretty easy going. I'm sure everything will be great."

"Did April tell you that we are all going to see The Nutcracker on Friday?"

"She did not. That will be so fun! The Nutcracker is my favorite!"

"That's what April was telling me the other day. It's going to be so much fun!"

"It definitely is. Honey, I hear that you are pregnant with a little girl. Is there anything that you need for the baby? I absolutely LOVE baby shopping! It's one of my favorite things in the world! Have you picked out a nursery theme yet?"

"I actually have no idea what I need. My Mom and Grandmother have been going crazy buying things. The theme I chose is The Secret Garden. It was my favorite book growing up, and it's going to be so amazing with all the pretty flowers and greenery."

"I love that! April and I love The Secret Garden too! I can totally picture a beautiful baby nursery, right out of the movie garden."

"Yes! That is exactly what I was thinking! I've been on Pinterest for the last month, pinning all kinds of ideas, and ordering a ton of stuff. We're going to use the same theme for my baby shower too. We figure we can use a lot of the same decorations."

"That is a great idea! I would love to help you with it, if that's alright with you?"

"I would love your help! Thank you so much for offering!"

"Listen girls, I've got to get going. I have some work to finish up, but I'll see you both in a couple of days, alright?"

"I am so excited! Just text me your train information, and we'll be there to pick you up." April told her.

"I will Sweetie. I love you. I'll see you both really soon."

"Bye Anna! See you soon!" Rory said cheerfully.

"I love you too, Mom." April told her, then ended the call. "You realize that my mom is about to go all baby crazy on you, right?"

"Please, have you met my Grandmother?! She's been buying things like crazy since she found out."

"Have you guys picked out a name yet?"

"We have, but we aren't telling anyone until Christmas."

"Is it a name from the Secret Garden?"

"Nope!"

"So you're really not going to tell me?"

"Nope! I've gotta go into the office for a little while today, do you want to come? Doyle needs me to go do a few things, so I figured we could run down there, then hit the mall."

"Sure, that sounds like fun." April said as they heard a phone start to ring.

"Honor, what's up?" Rory asked, answering the phone that sat on the nightstand.

"Rory, hey, is my brother available?"

"He's downstairs working out in his gym. Do you need me to go get him?"

"I have a little problem that I was hoping you guys could help me with."

"Sure, what's going on?"

"Dad's nurse called. She's sick and won't be able to make it over today, and the agency she's with doesn't have anyone able to take her place this week. I need to finish up some Christmas shopping, and I was hoping maybe I could talk Logan into hanging out with Dad today."

"I think he can probably do that. Let me go down and talk to him about it. I need to go down to the office to take care of a few things, then April and I were going to head to the mall. Do you want to go with us?"

"I would love to, as long as Logan is ok to stay with Dad."

"I'll go talk to him right now, and I'll call you right back, ok?"

"Thank you Rory, I really appreciate it!" Honor told her.

"It's no problem at all. I'll talk to you in a few minutes." Rory said, then disconnected the call. "Want to learn how to bribe Logan?"

"You need to bribe Logan?" April asked.

"There is no way that he is going to want to hang out with his Dad today. Mitchum is staying across the street with Honor for a reason." Rory told her as she got up from the bed, picking up a pile of clothes, and putting them away in the dresser before heading for the door as April followed behind her.

"Hey Babe!" Logan said as the girls walked into the home gym a few minutes later to see him lifting weights.

"Hey, Honor just called. She needs a favor." Rory told him.

"What's going on?"

"Mitchum's nurse is sick and can't make it today, and the agency doesn't have any replacements this week."

"Honor needs a babysitter?"

"Pretty much."

"For how long?"

"She didn't say. She just said that she needs to finish up her Christmas shopping. April and I have some shopping to finish too. Doyle needs me to stop by the office to take care of a few things, so I was going to run by there, then hit the mall. I invited Honor to join us."

"That sounds a lot more fun than babysitting my Dad."

"You could take him out to lunch or something. Maybe your Dad has some Christmas shopping to do. You are the perfect person to take him out, and make sure he doesn't over do it."

"Do I get a choice in the matter?"

"Nope!"

"Tell Honor that I'll come over when I'm done with my workout."

"Which will be when?"

"Give me another 20 minutes or so."

"So 20-30 minutes, then a shower . . . You need an hour?"

"Maybe."

"I'll let her know that we'll be over in an hour to pick her up, and for you to stay with your Dad."

"Hey Babe?" Logan started as Rory headed for the door with April

"Yeah?" Rory answered, turning around to see Logan holding an arm out toward her. "I'll meet you upstairs." Rory said, looking to her sister, then walking back to Logan. "What up?"

"Is that what you're wearing today?"

"Uh, jeans and a sweater . . . Yeah, that was the plan. Why? Does it look horrible? Do I officially look too fat to leave the house dressed like this?"

"No, definitely not. Just the opposite actually."

"What?! You've lost your mind."

"Me?"

"Yes you! How in the world you are so turned on by me getting fat, I will never understand!"

"Well, for starters, you're beautiful. Second, that's my baby. And third . . . Your boobs have gotten huge lately."

"Logan!" Rory laughed, playfully slapping him across his bare chest.

"What? It's true, and you know it."

"I need new bras." Rory pouted.

"You won't see me complaining." Logan laughed as he pulled his wife into his arms. "I'll take you bra shopping whenever you want me to."

"I can just get some while I'm out with April and Honor today. Or even on Wednesday when I go out with April and Anna."

"You don't want to go shopping with me?"

"We don't have any time to go shopping together this week."

"Says who?"

"Says the calendar! You're sitting with your Dad today while I run to the office to take care of some stuff for Doyle, then go shopping with April and Honor. Tonight, we have the HPG office party, tomorrow we have to finish getting the house ready because Anna will be here Wednesday morning. You have a meeting with the construction crew that afternoon, and I'm going shopping with April and Anna. Then Thursday we need to make sure we have everything else ready for Christmas because the rest of the family will be here Friday morning."

"We can go Wednesday night."

"No we can't. Anna will be here and we aren't going to be rude and completely bail on her and April unless they decide to bail on us."

"Ok, so how about if they bail on us, then you and I will go out?"

"IF they somehow decide they don't want to hang with us, then we can do something. But don't go making any stupid comments, or getting your hopes up. It's Christmas, and we're spending it with the family."

"So you and I get no alone time?"

"Oh please! You are so needy!" Rory laughed.

"No, I just miss spending all day with you." Logan said leaning in for a kiss.

"Actually, I just remembered something . . . Wednesday won't work either . . ."

"Why's that?"

"You're working tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday to make up for having the weekend off for Christmas."

"Crap! You're right. And I'm still on call all weekend."

"You're on call tonight too."

"I hate being on call at night!"

"Well let's hope that it's a slow night then."

"How about next week we take some time together, just the two of us."

"We have a lot going on at the office next week. It's the end of the year. And we have Finn's annual New Year's Eve party."

"I hate it when we're busy!"

"I know, but quit pouting, because it could be a lot worse."

"Maybe we should start scheduling date nights."

"We might have to."

"I hate that!"

"You realize that once the baby comes, we'll have zero free time, right?"

"I'm sure we can find someone to watch her every so often."

"You are not leaving Honor with two newborns!"

"I didn't say it would be Honor. But I'm sure she'd be the first to volunteer."

"Don't go getting any stupid ideas."

"My ideas are NOT stupid."

"Some of them are. Hurry up and finish your work out. I need to go get the laundry put away so I can head to the office."

"I could go with you."

"No you can't, you're babysitting Mitchum, and you know better than to allow him near that place."

"Damn! They really don't have any nurses that can come sit with him?"

"Honor said she was told there isn't anyone. It's a few days before Christmas. Just suck it up. You can deal with hanging out with your dad for a few hours."

"Because I love hearing about how I'm doing the family a disservice by being a doctor, and how having my wife step up to do my job running the family business is disgraceful and an embarrassment."

"He said that?!"

"Not him, but I've heard it from certain other family members."

"They all realize that I can quickly cut them off, right?!"

"There's my little titan!" Logan said proudly. "You have my permission!"

"I need names."

"You already have them."

"Are termination notices too harsh?"

"Probably not harsh enough. Or at least not as harsh as they deserve."

"Merry Christmas, you're being replaced. Go clean out your desk!"

"I don't hate it."

"It's pretty mean."

"I don't even care." Logan laughed.

"Can we call a shareholder's meeting next week, and offer to buy people out?"

'If that's what you want to do. But kicking them out would be a heck of a lot cheaper."

"I'm not sure that's legal though.

"I'll have Collin look into our options."

"Probably a good idea."

"Go finish the laundry. I'll be up to shower in a few minutes."

"Ok." Rory agreed as Logan let go of her.

"I love you."

"I love you too." she smiled giving him a kiss, then turning to head for the door. "Hey Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"You look hot without a shirt on."

"I could say the exact same thing about you." Logan smiled, the watched as Rory left to head back to finish the laundry.

"Is everything ok?" April asked when Rory passed by the kitchen.

"Yeah, everything is great! He's just being Logan. He doesn't want to babysit his Dad today."

"I can't say that I really blame him."

"Neither can I!" Rory laughed. "He's jealous that he doesn't get to hang out with us."

"You two are inseparable."

"Usually."

"You have a really good relationship."

"It's taken a lot of work to get there. We weren't like this when we were together before."

"Do you remember my friend Mason that you met at Dad and Lorelai's wedding?"

"I think so."

"He just texted me. He's in the city for Christmas. Would you mind if I went out for dinner with him tonight?"

"No, not at all! You make whatever plans you want to make while you're here, and don't even worry about offending us or anything. You aren't a child, or a prisoner. You deserve to have some fun."

"Have I told you that you are the coolest sister in the world?"

"I've heard some talk of that."

"Can he pick me up here?"

"If that's what you want to do. Logan might threaten him though."

"Better Logan than Dad."

"True story!" Rory laughed. "I won't tell Dad you said that."

"I'm going to go call him. Let me know when you want to leave and I'll be ready to go with you."

"Will do." Rory told her, then headed up the stairs to her bedroom.

15 minutes later, Logan walked into the bedroom he shared with Rory to shower and get ready for his busy day, babysitting his Father.

"Want to take a shower with me?" Logan asked, seeing Rory standing in the bathroom brushing her hair.

"Do you not see me getting ready to go?"

"You can get ready after."

"I'm already almost done." Rory laughed as Logan snaked an arm around her.

"That never stopped you before." he said placing a kiss on her neck.

"Go shower. You're all sweaty."

"Come with me."

"Not today. Go, and I'll tell you some fun news when you're done."

"Why isn't the fun news that you'll be joining me?"

"What if the fun news is that you can have date night tonight?"

"I'm on call tonight. And we have the HPG party."

"April has a date. We have the party, but we can do something after."

"I was thinking that we could do lunch with Dad today, after you're done at the office."

"Do we have to?"

"I was thinking that it might be nice. We haven't taken him out anywhere in forever. Getting him out for a decent meal could do him so good."

"Do you think he's ready for that? He's only been out of the hospital for two weeks."

"I don't think it'll hurt him."

"Do you think he'll be nice to April?"

"Do you think he's going to get a choice?"

"If you think it's safe, I'll go along with it."

"I'm thinking we can go to The Grille. We haven't been there in a while."

"Isn't that a little too 'low class' for your Dad?"

"Probably, but I don't really care. We like it there, and they have healthy food. Dad can get a sandwich and some salad. Maybe even some soup."

"I love it there."

"I know you do. That's why I thought of it."

"Why don't you go shower and I'll head to the office with April and then we'll meet you, Mitchum and Honor at the restaurant in two hours."

"Are you having Frank take you?"

"The snow isn't that bad. I'm not worried about driving in it."

"I would feel better if Frank took you."

"Logan, I'm pregnant, not helpless. I appreciate you worrying about me, and I do really love you for it, but I need to be able to do things myself. I am perfectly capable of driving myself a few miles to the office."

"It's not really you that I'm worried about. It's other people's crazy driving."

"We'll be fine, I promise! If it will make you feel better, I'll text you to let you know that we got there safe."

"That would help."

"Deal! I'm going to go get April and head out. You go shower. I'll see you at the restaurant."

"Please be careful." Logan said as Rory kissed him goodbye.

"I will."

"I love you Ace."

"I love you more!" Rory called as she walked out of the room, and headed downstairs.

**~ ~ ~ 2 hours later ~ ~ ~**

"Rory, April, it's nice to see you." Mitchum said as Rory and April pulled out seats at the table he was sitting at with Logan and Honor.

"Hey Mitchum. You look well today." Rory smiled.

"Hi Mr. Huntzberger. How are you feeling?" April asked.

"I'm not doing too bad. How are you doing? Still studying at MIT?"

"I'm doing great, thank you for asking. I graduate in May."

"Any fun plans in the works?"

"Not really. I'm hoping to get a position in the lab at Columbia, and Rory and Logan were kind enough to offer for me to stay with them while I get settled. They'll have the baby around that time, so I'm pretty excited for that."

"You like babies?"

"Usually. I'm still not so sure about wanting any of my own, but I'm excited for Rory and Logan. And of course for Honor's baby as well. They'll be a fun addition to the family. Are you excited to be a Grandpa?"

"I am. It will be different getting two babies at the same time. We always expected that Honor would have the first baby, and Logan would follow suit a few years later."

"You never thought that maybe Logan would have the first baby?" Honor asked.

"At one time we thought maybe it would happen, back when Logan was younger and messing around with all those different girls."

"Dad . . ." Logan said sternly.

"You had quite the reputation back then, son. I'm sure Rory knows all about it."

"I haven't been that person in over a decade."

"No one expected you to settle down so suddenly."

"No one expected most of what I've done, but you all need to just accept it and let go of the past."

"Hey April, when is your Mom getting here?" Honor asked, quickly changing the subject.

"She'll be here Wednesday morning. Rory and I are picking he up from the train station at 9am."

"I can't wait to meet her! Your mom sounds like such a fun person."

"She is. She was great to grow up with."

"How was everything at the office?" Logan whispered in Rory's ear as he slid his arm around her, kissing the side of her head while Honor and April chatted.

"Everything is fine. Doyle just needed me to go over a few contracts. I emailed them to you for approval. You can go over everything when you take your dad home."

"You didn't want to approve them yourself?"

"We're a team, remember? They look good to me, but I want you to go over them too."

"What kind of contracts?"

"One of them is the insurance coverage for the business for next year. They need that one back by tomorrow afternoon."

"And the others?"

"They're media contracts for advertising."

"Has legal gone over them?"

"Yep. They just need your final approval in case there are changes that you think should be made."

"It's Monday, shouldn't we have a conference call with the London office today?"

"I took care of it."

"And?"

"Everything we talked about last week has been implemented. They're sending over the new numbers this afternoon."

"Is readership up or down?"

"Up this week by about 20%."

"Nice!"

"Could just be the holiday calendar."

"Maybe, but it's up, so I'll take it."

"Pretty much."

"Is there anything that I need to worry about?"

"Everything is in the email I sent you."

"Should I read it now?"

"No, you can wait until you're home. There isn't anything urgent at the moment."

"Are we on budget?"

"We are."

"Is everything ready for the party?"

"As far as I know. Doyle is taking care of it."

"Rory, how is everything at the office going?" Mitchum asked. "You two are whispering over there, is everything ok?"

"Everything is great! You have nothing to worry about." Rory answered.

"Which means?"

"Which means that Rory has it all handled, Dad. We're whispering because we don't want you focusing on any business stuff. Your only job right now is to get better. You had two heart attacks in a month. You need to focus on your recovery, and only your recovery. HPG is thriving in Rory's hands!" Logan told him.

"Maybe I'll go back after the holidays."

"Over my dead body!"

"Logan, I helped build this company for the last 40 years! HPG is my legacy!"

"Calm down Dad." Honor said shooting a look at Logan. "You know that Logan is your doctor, and that he is in charge of your recovery. You aren't going to be going back to work any time soon, and you know that. Until your team of doctors and therapists release you from their care, your job is to just rest and recuperate. You have physical therapy 3 days a week, and that is what we are focusing on right now. Rory is doing a wonderful job running HPG, and there isn't anything for you to worry about. Why don't we change the subject. How would you like to do a little Christmas shopping today? You and I have done some online shopping, but how would you like to maybe go to a couple stores today?"

"Did you send your mother's present?"

"I did, and it's already been delivered to the rehab center. They have it all ready for her."

"What did you guys get Mom?" Logan asked.

"Dad picked out a Cartier necklace and bracelet set."

"Mom will like that."

"Did you send your mother something?" Mitchum asked.

"We did. We sent her a new purse."

"What kind of purse?"

"The new Burberry bag that was just released."

"She wanted another Birkin."

"And she can get one when she gets home." Logan told him. "I didn't really want to send an $8,000 purse across the country. At least with the Burberry bag, I could have it delivered by the local store, and it's several thousand less."

"Those are some expensive purses." April muttered softly.

"I know." Rory agreed in a whisper. "Rich people live very different lives."

"What are you two whispering about?" Honor asked.

"Just talking about presents." Rory answered with a smile.

"Rory, what did you get for your parents?" Mitchum asked.

"We got my Mom tickets to a concert she's been wanting to go to."

"And your Dad?"

"Both of my Dads we got sports stuff for. Luke is a big Yankees fan, so we got him tickets to some of the games, a jersey, and some other stuff. For my other dad, my younger sister and I got him Patriots season tickets."

"You didn't get season tickets for both of them?"

"Luke wouldn't go to every game. He has his restaurant that he runs, and it keeps him pretty busy."

"Christopher is way more into sports than Luke is." Logan told him.

"Honor tells me that your entire family is coming for Christmas."

"Yes, they are. My grandparents are staying with you guys." Rory answered.

"Emily, Richard, and Francine." Honor told him.

"Francine?" Mitchum asked.

"Francine Hayden." Rory clarified.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot that you're a Hayden."

"How do you people possibly forget that Rory is a Hayden?!" Logan asked. "I swear, you and Mom are so hyper focused on Rory being Lorelai Gilmore's daughter, that you completely forget the fact that she's a Hayden too."

"I had a heart attack Logan. I tend to forgot things. I'm still recovering, or have you forgot that?"

"Ok, so your heart attack is an excuse for you to forget things, but yet you think you are capable of going back to work . . . Yeah, it sounds like you're fully recovered and able bodied there! Please, don't bother with the stupid bs excuses with me. I'm a doctor, not an idiot! Recovering from a heart attack isn't an excuse to forget who Rory's parents are. You and Mom just choose to focus one single part of Rory's DNA, and completely forget that she is way more blue blooded than all of us are! You just don't want to admit that Rory is better than us. Whatever Dad! That's just fine. Just remember who runs the company now, because it isn't you!"

"Logan . . ." Honor warned.

"Will you guys please excuse us for a moment?" Rory asked, standing from her chair, and reaching for Logan's hand, pulling him to follow her. "Hey, what's going on with you?!" Rory asked once they were outside.

"I won't allow him to treat you that way. He's sitting there belittling you in front of your sister. It's one thing to do it in front of me and Honor. That makes me crazy enough. But for him to do it in front of April?! It's making me really mad!"

"He's just making himself look like a jerk. I already warned April, I'm sure she's not too surprised by any of it. The expensive purses on the other hand . . ."

"I won't allow him to disrespect you like that."

"I need you to calm down. Let's let Honor handle it."

"You're my wife Rory. He needs to treat you better!"

"I know. But I also know exactly how your family feels about my existence, and I expect this crap from them."

"How are you so calm about this?"

"Because I have you jumping down his throat for me."

"You deserve better than all of this."

"I know. But like you said, I'm the one running the company, and I'm more blue blood than all of them! I won!"

"You are a much better person than any of those jerks can ever hope to be."

"I know I am. And you know what else I know?"

"What's that?"

"I know that Emily Gilmore will be putting your Dad in his place in just a few short days."

"I like it!"

"Me too! So, can we go back there, and at least try to enjoy our lunch?'

"You are amazing, did you know that?"

"Only because I have you to love me." Rory said as Logan wrapped her in his arms.

"I really want to leave this place right now, and go somewhere else, just the two of us."

"It'll be just us tonight."

"Unless I get called into work."

"Let's try to think positive, ok?"

"I owe you big time for dealing with this crap."

"Well, lucky for you, Christmas is a few days away, so maybe you can get me something nice."

"Who says I didn't?"

"Can we go eat now? I'm starving!"

"Order something really unhealthy and eat a ton of it, just to make my Dad jealous."

"Deal!"

"God, I love you!" Logan laughed as he took Rory's hand, and headed back inside the restaurant.


	43. Chapter 43

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Self Quarantine Day 73 ~~~

Our air conditioner died four days ago. It's 85 degrees inside my house, and 90 outside. It's hot as hell trying to sleep at night. With our HVAC unit down and the disadvantage of living in the south central US, the humidity is causing mold. This majorly sucks! I'm attempting to pass the time by writing. I literally have nothing else to do. But it's so freaking HOT!

Something my husband and I have learned through this who no air conditioning nightmare; buy a can of Biofreeze, spray yourself down, and go sit in front of the fan. It feels AMAZING!

I hope you are all doing well, and continue to remain healthy and happy.

* * *

"Grandma! Grandpa! I am so happy to see you!" Rory said, as she ushered her grandparents into her home Friday morning.

"Rory, you look lovely! Richard, look how much the baby has already grown, just since last week!" Emily said as she hugged her granddaughter then leaned down placing a hand on her stomach. "Hi there Sweet baby girl! Grandma is so excited to meet you in just a few more months!"

"Rory, are you going to take that? Grandma just called you fat!" Lorelai said nudging Rory as she stepped up behind her.

"I did no such thing!" Emily argued! Rory looks lovely! I just commented that the baby is growing."

"And making Rory fat."

"Lorelai, I swear! Rory, I would never call you fat. Please ignore your mother. I am simply excited to have a new baby join our family in the spring."

"I know Grandma. Mom is an instigator. Come on in. Hi Grandpa!" Rory said giving her Grandfather a hug, then following everyone into the living room.

"Rory, Honey, your house looks gorgeous!" Richard said as he looked around, admiring all the Christmas decorations that had been put up since their last visit.

"Thank you Grandpa!"

"Where is Logan this morning?"

"Logan is at work. He got called in around 4am. He should be home around lunch time."

"Poor guy! He must be exhausted!" Emily commented.

"I talked to him about an hour ago. He's going to take a nap when he gets home, that way he's somewhat rested before we go see The Nutcracker tonight."

"Well, it's only 10 right now. What should we do while we wait for Logan?"

"Actually, I was hoping that maybe you could do something for me."

"And what would that be?"

"Logan and I were hoping that maybe you could do a little damage control . . ."

"Damage control?" Richard asked.

"Mitchum was a complete jerk at lunch the other day. Between trying to weasel his way back into HPG and throwing me out, insinuating that the gifts I bought my parents aren't good enough, and then being completely hyper focused on me being Lorelai Gilmore's illegitimate child, that he has completely forgotten that I'm a Hayden, and a hell of a lot better and more blue blooded than his entire family combined, he's been a total pain in the butt lately!"

"What did Logan have to say about it?"

"Logan ripped into him! He's REALLY mad!"

"Well don't you worry your pretty little head. Your Grandfather and I will take care of it. Maybe we'll even let Francine have a crack at him."

"Just no causing another heart attack, please."

"Don't worry Honey, your Grandmother and I will handle Mitchum." Richard told her.

"Rory didn't even tell you what she did to him." Lorelai commented.

"What did you do?" Emily asked.

"Logan ordered Richard a plain turkey sandwich at the restaurant with some bland soup and a salad. He was originally going to let him eat something else, because that restaurant is one of our favorites, and has amazing food, but Logan was mad, and decided to play dirty. He pulled rank and got Mitchum bland healthy food, and told me to order the most unhealthy thing I could and to eat a ton of it, just to make Mitchum crazy. Logan, April and I ordered thick juicy burgers, a Philly cheese steak, onion rings, fries, and Mozzarella sticks, and we ate every single bite! Then we washed it down with ice cream shakes, chocolate cake, and strawberry cheesecake."

"Sounds nice and artery clogging." Richard laughed.

"Exactly!" Rory agreed. "And it was delicious!"

"We should all eat some really delicious food in front of him while Mitchum eats mush." Lorelai told them.

"That's the plan!" Rory told her. "Logan is picking up lunch on his way home. I'm sure he's going out of his way to torture his Dad. He'll probably get all of Mitchum's favorites."

"Logan is definitely a Gilmore at heart!" Lorelai laughed. "We've trained him well!"

"He's been around you girls way too long!" Emily agreed.

"Should we get settled while we wait for Logan to get home?" Richard asked.

"If you'd like." Rory answered. "Please don't hate me for this, but the two of you, Dad, and Francine are staying over at Honor's house this time. We just don't have enough beds in this house for everybody, and we figured that you would be more comfortable over there, and wouldn't want anyone to be sleeping on the couch. But you don't by any means have to spend any of your time over there. We have code locks on the doors, and you are all welcome to come and go as you please. We made the code the baby's due date. 0-5-2-3 Or you can use the garage door. I can give you the codes to those too, or you can take one of the controllers."

"Don't be silly Rory, of course it's ok!" Emily told her. "You asked me about this situation a month ago."

"I did? I don't remember."

"You don't remember what you ate for breakfast either." Lorelai laughed.

"Has Christopher arrived yet?" Richard asked.

"Not yet, but I'm expecting them to be here soon. Gigi will be staying here, but we put Dad and Francine at Honor's house with you guys. We figured the grandparents would probably want to go to bed earlier than us younger kids, so the house would be quieter."

"Lorelai, where is Luke?" Emily asked.

"He's upstairs putting together some furniture in the baby's room, and hanging some shelves.

"And April?"

"She is out with Anna, exploring the city. They'll be back later this afternoon."

"Anna is?" Richard asked.

"April's Mom." Rory told her. "She's very sweet."

"Are Josh's parents joining us for the holiday?" Emily asked.

"They're over at Honor's right now. They're going to be with their daughter for Christmas this year. They came by to drop off presents this morning." Rory told her.

"Well, let's go say hello then."

"Do you need some help getting up?" Lorelai asked, holding her hand out to Rory to help her up from the couch.

"Just a little bit. Thank you. I can still get up at the moment, but it's getting harder."

"I'll text Luke to let him know that we'll be across the street." Lorelai said as they all headed for the door.

**~ ~ ~ Honor's House ~ ~ ~**

"Knock knock!" Rory called as she led her family into the house a few minutes later.

"In the kitchen!" Honor called back.

"This house looks like a winter wonderland!" Emily exclaimed, looking around as they walked through the foyer."

"Every room has a different theme." Rory explained. The living room is pretty cool, it looks like Santa's workshop. The family room is decorated like an elf's home. Everything is tiny except the furniture which just looks massive. It's pretty funny."

"Hello hello!" Honor greeted everyone as they entered the kitchen. "Welcome to Mrs. Clause's bakery!"

"Honor, it smells delicious in here!" Lorelai said as she gave Honor a hug.

"It does, doesn't it?! It's all Donna! She came over this morning and decided we should bake some treats."

"Donna, how are you?" Emily asked, embracing Donna Rothschild for a brief moment.

"Emily! It is so wonderful to see you. I am doing fantastic! How are you? You look amazing as always. Hello Richard, it's so great to see you."

"We are doing very well, thank you." Emily answered.

"What are you making?" Rory asked.

"We just put an apple pie in the oven, and we are working on pumpkin and cherry. There are cookies on the counter if you would like some. We made 3 different kinds."

"Have I told you that you're my favorite?" Lorelai asked as she walked through the kitchen to check out the cookies.

"Emily, Richard, how was the drive?" Honor asked.

"It wasn't bad." Richard answered. "Those cookies look devine!"

"Help yourself!"

"Where's Mitchum?" Rory asked.

"In the den with Josh and his Dad." Honor told her. "Probably watching golf or something. Do you have bags to bring in? I'll call in there and have them help you."

"Thank you Honor, that is very kind." Emily smiled as Richard handed her a cookie.

"Josh? Honey? Would you and your Dad mind coming to help Richard bring their bags inside please?" Honor spoke through the intercom.

"We'll be right there." Josh answered.

"Is Logan still working?" Honor asked.

"He was when I talked to him an hour ago. He's aiming to be home by lunch time." Rory told her.

"You handle his ever changing work schedule angelically. Not all wives are so understanding."

"What choice do I have? Logan has an important career that he loves. He is literally saving lives. It would be wrong of me to complain."

"You are a wonderful wife!" Donna told her. "Can I touch your cute little belly?"

"Of course you can. Thank you for asking."

"How are you Honey?" Donna asked hugging Rory before gently rubbing her stomach. "Hi baby girl! I'm your Grandma Donna! I can't wait to meet you! I got you a ton of Christmas presents! I hope you like them!"

"I'm doing good." Rory chuckled.

"You are so adorable! Here, go stand with Honor, I need a picture of you adorable Mommies together." Donna said reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone as the men walked into the kitchen. "Joshua, we made your favorite cookies. They're on the counter."

"Thanks Ma." Josh said grabbing a cookie. "Where are the bags?"

"Rory's driveway. I'll show you." Richard said, then led the men out of the kitchen.

"Did I hear there are cookies in here?" Mitchum asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Your cookies are right here Dad." Honor said as she picked up a container off the counter, and handed it to her dad.

"Sugar free I'm guessing."

"That's right. You know that you don't get any of these. Logan would kill us if we let you have any."

"Can I Rory, can I? PLEASE!?" Lorelai whispered, begging her daughter.

"Lorelai, hold your tongue!" Emily quietly snapped, elbowing her daughter in the ribs.

"Hey, I'm not stopping you." Rory whispered back.

"Donna, these cookies are AMAZING! I'm going to need to get your recipe." Lorelai announced causing Emily to roll her eyes, and Rory to stifle a laugh.

"What else are you making today?" Emily asked.

"Well, we are going to finish up the pumpkin and cherry pies, and then make a special pie for Mitchum here, and I thought we might make some cinnamon rolls for you all to have for breakfast tomorrow morning." Donna answered.

"Can I just eat them all now?" Rory asked. "I think the one big benefit of pregnancy is the never ending hunger. I LOVE food!"

"Rory here ate an entire philly cheese steak and a full pound hamburger at lunch the other day." Mitchum informed everyone.

"Don't forget about the fries, and onion rings." Honor added.

"I had some of April's mozzarella sticks too." Rory laughed.

"And you washed it all down with a chocolate ice cream shake then followed that with chocolate cake and cheesecake."

"And it was delicious!"

"Gotta love that Gilmore appetite!" Lorelai laughed. "I've raised you well!"

"So she always eats like this?" Mitchum asked.

"Oh yes! Gilmore girls have bottomless stomachs. Yet somehow we never gain any weight." Lorelai said proudly.

"It's the Lorelai paradox." Rory chuckled. "Hopefully the baby will have the same problem."

"Logan may go broke trying to feed you two." Honor chuckled. "I envy your appetite!"

"Logan does too. He still thinks it's some kind of magic trick."

"It must be really nice to be able to eat whatever you want." Mitchum commented as he looked over the container of cookies in his hand. "I haven't had a say in what I eat in months."

"That's because you're recovering from two heart attacks, and your diet has always been crap. We're trying to change that Dad. We're helping you get healthy." Honor told him. "Now take your cookies, and go back to watching golf or whatever it is that you were doing. Logan should be home with lunch soon."

"What is he bringing?"

"I have no idea. Rory, did he tell you?"

"Not yet. He said he would call when he leaves the hospital. He's busy saving lives."

"Mitchum, you must be so proud of your son." Emily started. "He has worked so hard to become a doctor, and now here he is, saving lives every day. What an amazing asset to your family! You are blessed to have raised such an amazing young man."

"Sure, we're very lucky." Mitchum said as he walked away, leaving the women alone.

"Nice one, Mom!" Lorelai said as she nudged her mother.

"High five Grandma!" Rory said holding her hand out in front of Emily.

"Really girls?"

"Hey, that was an awesome dig you just made!" Honor agreed. "He had that one coming!"

"Rory, did you really eat all of that at lunch the other day?" Donna asked.

"I did." Rory told her.

"Was it delicious?"

"It really was! Logan told me to eat a ton, so I did."

"I envy your stomach!"

"Hey, I'm an amateur compared to my Mom. Cows and goats envy her stomach!"

"Rory, when is your husband coming home?"

"He said around noon. Why? Are you starving or something?"

"No, I just can't wait to tell Logan all about what just happened."

"Tell Logan about what that just happened?" a voice asked from behind them.

"Baby!" Rory squealed, jumping into Logan's arms.

"Hi!" Logan smiled, hugging his wife tight, then kissing her. "You taste like cookies."

"And they're delicious!" Rory said kissing him again, then breaking off a piece of the cookie she was holding, and pushing it into Logan's mouth.

"That is really good! What is that?" he asked after finishing the bite in his mouth.

"I have no idea, but Donna made it."

"That would be chocolate chip cookies made with Belgian hazelnut chocolate." Donna answered.

"That is incredible! I might have to eat a few more."

"Logan, Merry Christmas! I'm so glad you could join us!" Emily said as Logan moved across the kitchen toward the cookies on the counter next to where Emily was standing.

"Emily, I'm so glad you guys made it! How was your drive?"

"It was nice and uneventful."

"Good, I am very glad. Lorelai, I said hi to you yesterday." Logan smiled, stepping past his mother in-law, and grabbing himself a couple cookies.

"How many lives did you save today?"

"I don't know, I wasn't keeping track. I did a lot of stitches though, and I almost got thrown up on."

"Gross!" Rory said, scrunching up her face.

"You're telling me! And a couple of the nurses laughed and said, 'welcome to parenthood'."

"It's not so bad when it's baby spit up. It's when they get older and have real food in their system that comes back up, that's when it gets bad." Lorelai told him.

"Thanks for the visual!" Logan laughed.

"Logan, Honey, are you hungry?" Donna asked.

"I am, but I have lunch being delivered in an hour. How are you doing Donna?"

"I'm doing great Honey! How about you? Your sister tells me you were called in early this morning."

"The phone rang at 4am. I'm doing alright. I'm a little tired, but I'm going to take a nap after lunch."

"So Logan, do you want to hear what happened right before you got here?" Lorelai asked.

"Does it have anything to do with why Dad was just muttering something on his way to the den?"

"Probably everything to do with it." Rory answered.

"Did he at least deserve it?"

"Doesn't he always?" Honor asked.

"Ok, hit me with it."

"Let's just say that Dad has sugar free cookies, and no one else does."

"And I might have announced how great these cookies are." Lorelai added.

"And then Dad tried to throw Rory under the bus for everything she ate on Monday, and it completely backfired."

"Nice!" Logan told them.

"So then Grandma pipes up with how proud Mitchum must be to have a son who studied so hard to become a doctor and save lives every day, and he is blessed to have raised such an amazing young man." Rory added.

"I heard the words 'sure, very lucky' as he left the kitchen." Lorelai told him.

"Well, he definitely deserved it!" Logan agreed.

"I told Grandma about lunch the other day. She said she would take care of it." Rory told him.

"What happened at lunch the other day?" Donna asked.

"Just Dad being hateful to Rory." Honor answered.

"Your parents are STILL doing that crap? Rory, Honey, I am so sorry!"

"Don't be, It's not your fault. I don't really care that they hate me anymore. I'm pretty used to it."

"Rory has decided that rather than be upset by it, she's just going to embrace it, and at least give them a reason to hate her." Logan told her.

"And it's pretty fun too! We're having a great time coming up with new ways to make them crazy."

"Well I'm glad you've found a way to be positive, and not let the drama hurt your relationship." Donna told them.

"They can't hurt us. We're solid." Logan told her. "We both know what it's like to be apart, and we're better together, right Ace?"

"Yep! And you can't really hurt the person who holds the purse strings. But you do need to be careful, because one day she just might snap, and completely cut you off!"

"Now that, I can't wait to see!" Lorelai told them.

"Me too!" Logan agreed.


	44. Chapter 44

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Self Quarantine Day 74 ~~~

Day 5 of no air conditioner

Someone please make my landlord fix it!

I hope you are all doing well, and continue to remain healthy and happy.

* * *

"Alright Rory, you've made us all wait until Christmas to find out this baby's name. Presents have been opened, and breakfast has been served. When are you going to spill the beans?" Lorelai asked as everyone sat eating their food.

"Actually, it's funny that you ask because we've actually already revealed her name."

"What are you talking about? I know nothing about this! You haven't told me anything!"

"Me either!" Gigi agreed. "You told me that we will all find out on Christmas."

"You are all blind as bats because the baby's name is right here in this room. You've all just completely missed it. It's been here for days." Logan told them.

"Where?" Lorelai asked.

"I've been here since last Sunday, and I haven't seen anything!"

"Yeah, April has been here for an entire week, and she hasn't seen anything!" Lorelai echoed.

"Well, what can I say, maybe you all need new glasses." Rory laughed.

"The name is in here. I put it here myself. But you're going to have to find it." Logan said as he popped another bite of food in his mouth.

"Are you going to tell us where we are supposed to be looking?" Honor asked.

"Nope!"

"It's part of the decorations." Rory added.

"Gee, that helps." Lorelai said with a roll of her eyes.

"I can see it from where I'm sitting. You are all just blind."

"Can you give us an area to look?" Emily asked.

"Nope!"

"Let us know when you find it!" Rory told them as she put her feet up on the coffee table in front of her, and reclined back with Logan. "This is really good french toast!"

"Hey Luke, thanks for Breakfast!" Logan said, turning to look to his father in-law.

"Is that a clue? Is french toast a clue?" Lorelai asked him.

"Nope!" Rory chirped with a smile. "Babe, you're right, this is pretty fun!"

"I give it about 5 more minutes before they start killing each other to find it."

"I give it about 30 seconds. My mom is about to blow."

"Well she can't really kill us because without us, there is no baby."

"True story! How long do you think it'll take them?"

"I honestly don't know. I mean, you heard April, she's been here for a week."

"You think we have time to go take a nap?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe. But do you really think that your Mom is going to let us sleep? She had us up at 6."

"For real Mom! What's up with that?! You are such a child on Christmas!" Rory told her.

"Rory . . . Honey . . . My beautiful daughter who I love so very very much . . ."

"Not a chance!"

"But why!? I was in labor for 18 hours!"

"And you've been reminding me of that every chance you get, and I'm sure you'll be getting your revenge for that in May. But as of right now, your granddaughter needs a name, and it's up to all of you to find it"

"This is so unfair! After everything that I've done for you!"

"Come on Lor, I'll help you look." Christopher said as he got up from the table he was eating at with the Grandparents.

"Happy hunting!" Rory told them.

"Should we divide into teams?" Richard asked.

"Do you think it'll help?" Francine asked.

"I don't see teams helping." Logan spoke up.

"You said it was part of the decorations, right?" Anna asked.

"That is correct."

"Ok, so this shouldn't be too hard. Let's just start checking all of the Christmas decorations."

"Think we should time them?" Rory asked.

"I'm not sure . . . I can see it from right here. It's plain as day. I honestly am surprised that no one has spotted it yet."

"Are you looking at it right now?" Gigi asked.

"Nope!"

"Is that your favorite word?" Luke asked.

"Nope! My favorite word is something much much different." Logan laughed, winking at his wife.

"Who gave you two this twisted idea?" Honor asked.

"Actually, you did!" Rory laughed.

"What?! How?"

"You were talking about doing a scavenger hunt the other day, to find out the gender of your baby."

"A scavenger hunt has clues. You two haven't given us anything."

"Yes we did!" Logan spoke up. "We told you that it's in this room."

"This room is huge!"

"I know! That makes our hunt so much better!" Rory laughed.

"Ok, let's try this. Dad, you and grandma look around this area." Gig said getting up and pointing to an area to her left. "April, you check this section with your mom. Honor, you take the center of the room with Mitchum. Josh and Emily, you check the right corner. Luke and Lorelai, you help me check the tree."

"Who do you think will find it first?" Logan asked.

"I'm not going to say because it might actually help them."

"Oh come on!" Lorelai said exasperatedly as everyone rose from their seats to go look around their assigned spaces.

"Is it written on something?" Anna asked.

"Yes it is." Logan answered.

"I bet you they look right at it, and still don't see it." Rory said as she laid her head on Logan's shoulder.

"I'm pretty sure that's already happened multiple times."

"Who taught you to be this sneaky?!" Lorelai asked.

"YOU did!" Rory answered.

"You realize how completely unfair this is, right?"

"Less whining, more hunting."

"I hope they manage to find it before someone decides to call me in today." Logan commented as he lounged with his wife, watching the family.

"Maybe we should call the hospital and have some page you so you're forced to tell us." Honor said as she picked up a decoration to examine it.

"Then you would never find out the name, because I wouldn't be here to tell you anything."

"You aren't telling us anything anyway." April told him.

"Hey Babe, do you think that maybe I can get a massage sometime this week?" Rory asked.

"I'll give you a massage right now, if you tell me what the name is." Gigi offered.

"Sorry G, I'm not caving."

"A massage can probably be arranged." Logan answered. "When were you thinking?"

"I don't know. Don't I have to find some special kind of masseuse or something?"

"I actually know someone. I'll call them tomorrow."

"Thank you. You're amazing!" Rory said lifting her head enough to kiss her husband.

"Logan, will you tell us what letter the name starts with?" Mitchum asked.

"I will not." Logan answered.''

"Was that a clue?" Christopher asked.

"It was not." Rory answered.

"You two are mean!" April laughed as she examined decorations with Anna.

"Rory, did you give the baby the name Lorelai?" Francine asked.

Rory and Logan looked at each other and shrugged as they tried to figure out how to best answer that question.

"The baby's whole name is on an object." Rory answered.

"That wasn't what she asked." Gigi commented.

"Lorelai, check your presents, and see what else is written on them." Richard instructed.

"Grandpa is on the right track." Rory whispered.

"Yeah, but they aren't looking in the right place." Logan whispered back.

"You guys, they're whispering." April announced. "I think we're onto something."

"Onto what?" Honor asked.

"Francine, you asked if they gave the baby the name Lorelai, right?"

"That is correct." Francine answered.

"There are how many people named Lorelai in this family already?" April asked.

"Rory is the third." Emily told her.

"So actually, it would make sense then for Rory and Logan to name the baby Lorelai, right?"

"April has a point." Christopher agreed.

"Rory, what is your middle name?" Mitchum asked.

"It's Leigh, but that won't help you." Logan answered.

"And Lorelai's middle name is what?" Honor questioned.

"Victoria." Emily answered.

"Again, it won't help you." Logan told them.

"So the name is definitely Lorelai then." Richard mused. "Logan said that the baby's name is written on something in this room, so we just need to search everything that says Lorelai on it.

"Lorelai, check all of your presents." Emily instructed her.

"Everybody check your areas for something that says Lorelai on it." Anna told everyone.

"The name isn't on any of mom's presents." Rory announced.

"Is it on my stocking?" Lorelai asked.

"Nope!"

"What about in my stocking?"

"Nope!"

"Damn! What else in this room says Lorelai on it?"

"There are a few things." Logan told her.

"Is the name on these things?"

"It's on a couple of them."

"It's on a couple of things? As in two things?" Honor asked.

"Two that I know of for sure." Logan answered.

"Are these baby related things?" Richard asked.

"They might be."

"Is it Lorelai Ayribella?" Luke asked, holding up an ornament with a sonogram picture in it.

"Luke wins!" Logan announced.

"Lorelai Ayribella, that is a very beautiful name." Anna told them.

"So we're calling her Ayribella?" Emily asked.

"Or Ayri." Rory answered.

"Luke, we get a baby Ayri!" Lorelai said excitedly.

"Can we call her Bella?" Gigi asked.

"I don't really have a problem with that." Logan said looking to Rory for approval.

"That's fine with me. Ayribella can decide what she wants to be called when she starts talking." Rory agreed.

"Lorelai Ayribella Huntzberger. That is a beautiful name!" Emily smiled.

"A nice strong name for a beautiful baby girl." Richard agreed. "I think Trix would approve."

"Who is Trix?" April asked.

"Trix was my mother. Lorelai the first."

"Lorelai Josephine Gilmore." Emily added. "This baby will be Lorelai the fourth."

"This baby is a Huntzberger." Mitchum started.

"Dad, if I hear the H word come out of your mouth, you may get decked." Logan warned him. "No one will be forcing Ayribella to do anything that she doesn't want to do. If she wants to be a show girl, or go to clown college, then that's what she'll do. She can be an astronaut, or a football player. Or she can be a human barbie doll. You will not be forcing anything on her. Do you understand me?!"

"The H word?" Anna aked, looking to Luke and Lorelai.

"Heir." Lorelai whispered. "I'll explain later. Sorry, we should have warned you about that one."

"April told me a little bit."

"Then multiply that by about a million, and that might come close to describing the manipulation."

"Yikes!"

"Did everybody get enough to eat?" Honor asked, changing the subject.

"I'm stuffed!" Rory answered.

"Ditto!" Lorelai agreed as she collapsed on the couch next to Rory. "What's the plan for the rest of the day?"

"We need to call mom." Logan answered.

"How many of us are allowed to run away?" Rory asked.

"Anyone who doesn't want to do the video call, who's last name isn't Huntzberger or Rothschild, feel free to escape now."

"We'll stay." Emily said looking to Richard.

"I'll stay too." Francine agreed.

"Anyone else?" Logan asked.

"Do you want us to?" Lorelai asked in a timid voice.

"Go watch tv or something downstairs. It's totally fine."

"Who wants to go watch Christmas movies?" Lorelai asked as she got up and headed for the basement door.

"Honor, would you mind helping me get everything set up?" Logan asked as he got up from the couch, and headed to his office to grab his laptop.

Honor helped Logan get his computer all set up while Richard grabbed a few chairs from the kitchen table, and positioned them behind the couch, so that everyone could be seen on camera while calling Shira.

"Is everyone ready?" Honor asked as everyone took their seats.

"Just call your Mother Honor. It's Christmas, and she's all alone this year."

"Mom is in a recovery program, Dad. She needs to learn how to live without the constant intake of alcohol and Xanax. Mom's dependency problem almost cost you your life." Logan told him. "It might be Christmas, but Mom is exactly where she needs to be right now. Bringing her home for the holidays could severely jeopardize her recovery, and we need her stable before the babies are born. I don't really care what your opinion on the matter is because I'm the doctor, and what I say goes. Mom is staying put until her team feels that she is no longer at risk for relapse, just like you are living with Honor, going to therapy, and having a nurse come daily to help you out, until your team feels that you are capable of living day to day without help. All medical decisions go through me, and that is just the way that it is. Do you understand me?"

"Logan, I am still your father, and I don't appreciate you talking to me like I'm a child."

"Well then stop acting like one. And maybe consider treating me with the same respect. I'm talking to you the exact same way that you talk to me, so maybe you might want to consider changing that."

"Alright you two. Knock it off." Honor said as she stepped between them to sit down on the couch next to Rory.

Logan hit the button on his computer to connect the video call, then took his seat on the couch next to his wife as Mitchum took his seat in a chair next to Richard.

"Hello!" Shira's voice came through the computer as the video began to connect.

"Hi Mom! Merry Christmas!" Honor said cheerfully.

"Merry Christmas!" everyone else echoed.

"Hello! Merry Christmas!" Shira smiled. "Wow, there sure are a lot of you today!"

"We all just wanted to say hi and wish you happy holidays." Emily spoke up.

"Emily, thank you. It's nice to see you. Is that Francine I see with you?"

"Hello Shira. It's been a long time." Francine greeted.

"Yes, it sure has."

"Shira, did you get your gifts?" Michum asked.

"I did. Thank you all, I have them right here with me. I was waiting for your call before opening them."

"Well, get opening then." Honor said excitedly.

"Alright. Let's see . . ." Shira started as she reached down at her feet and picked up a beautifully wrapped gift. "This one says it's from Logan and Rory. Let's see what it is." she said as she carefully removed the paper from the box, then removed a lid and some tissue paper. "Oh look! It's a purse! Thank you Logan and Rory. I do love Burberry. And it looks like there is a matching wallet as well. Thank you! I will definitely be using this."

"You're welcome Mom. Glad you like it." Logan spoke up.

"Merry Christmas Shira!" Rory said sweetly.

"Alright, it looks like this one is from Honor and Joshua." Shira said as she reached for the next gift, and began to open it. "Honor, thank you so much! My favorite perfume and lotions. How did you know that I needed these? Thank you! You and Joshua are so sweet!"

"I hope they help make your stay more comfortable." Josh told her.

"Let me know if you start to run out, and I'll get you some more." Honor told her.

"Thank you Honey. This is very sweet." Shira said as she set the gift down, and reached for her next gift. "This one says it's from the Gilmore Family. Emily, you didn't need to send me anything."

"Nonsense, you're family now Shira. It's just a little something to officially welcome you and Mitchum into our family. We are so happy to have you." Emily smiled.

"Oh wow! Emily! Thank you!"

"I thought a nice Huntzberger wall hanging with all the family members names and the extended family last names would be fun to have. And there is plenty of space to add the babies names when they are born in the spring. It represents the blending of our families, and Richard and I thought you would love it! Didn't it turn out just beautiful?!"

"Checkmate!" Rory whispered to Logan.

"This is very unique. Thank you Emily. Thank you Richard!" Shira said with as much fakeness as she could muster.

"Grandma, what a thoughtful gift! I want one! That is so cool!" Rory spoke up as Shira held up her gift.

Emily had gotten Shira a scrabble style wall hanging with HUNTZBERGER spelled out in large letters and then each family member's name spelled out in slightly smaller letters, branching off of the various letters. From the H going downward read Honor, from the U read Mitchum, from the N read Logan, the first R was Shira, G read Gilmore, the last E read Hayden and the final R read Rothschild. Then, right through the middle of Gilmore, it read Rory, and right in the middle of Rothschild, it read Josh. Every family member's name and last name was included.

"Emily, that is the coolest thing ever! You will have to tell me where you had that done. I want one too!" Honor agreed.

"Emily, Richard, thank you so much! This is just lovely." Shira said as she set the gift down, and reached for the next one. "This one is from Mitchum."

"I hope you like it." Mitchum spoke up as Shira opened her gift.

"Mitchum! It's exquisite! Absolutely gorgeous! Thank you, Dear!" Shira said happily admiring her new necklace and bracelet.

"They will look lovely on you."

"Thank you Mitchum!"

"Mom, you have one more gift, coming right now." Honor said as there was a knock on Shira's door.

"Yes, who is it?" Shira called.

"Ma'am, I have a gift for you." a nurse said as she entered the room carrying one last gift, handing it to Shira.

"Thank you Noel."

"Merry Christmas Mrs. Huntzberger!"

"Thank you. Merry Christmas to you!" Shira smiled.

"Mom, before you open that gift, I need to explain something. Josh and I were trying to think of a way to reveal the gender of our baby, and it didn't really feel right to do it without you with us. So, in this gift you will find our baby's name and gender." Honor explained.

"Should I go grab the rest of the family for this?" Emily asked.

"Yes, that is a great idea!" Honor answered. "Hold on mom, we need to bring a few more people in.

"I'll get them." Logan said as he stood up and walked over to the intercom on the wall. "Anyone who wants to come find out the name and Gender of Honor and Josh's baby, you have about 30 seconds to get in here!"

Squeals and footsteps were immediately heard as the rest of the family ran up the stairs from the basement, and into the living room.

"Everyone say Merry Christmas to my Mom." Logan said as he sat back down next to Rory.

"Merry Christmas!" was heard all through the room as everyone crowded in.

"Oh wow! That is quite the party you've got there!" Shira said as people gathered around the couch.

"Alright mom, go ahead." Honor told her.

"Let's see what we've got." Shira said as she removed the paper on the box, and opened it to find tissue paper, and a paid of blue converse shoes. "It's a boy! And it looks like his name is Maxwell Logan Rothschild. Honor, you're having a boy!"

"Congratulations!" Rory squealed reaching over to hug her sister in-law.

"Congratulations Sweetheart! This is very exciting indeed!"

"Are you excited Mom? You are getting both a girl and a boy!"

"I am. This is so lovely!"

"What about you Dad? What do you think?" Logan asked.

"A little boy, named after you. That is quite the accolade."

"Josh and I are so proud of Logan. He's such an amazing little brother, and doctor. It was only fitting to name the baby after him. This kid has a lot to live up to." Honor explained.

"Thank you Honor. I am very flattered. That is so sweet!" Logan said reaching his arm out to squeeze his sister's hand.

"Merry Christmas Mom!" Honor smiled.

"Thank you Sweetheart! Merry Christmas to all of you! Did you all get the gifts I sent?" Shira asked.

"I actually have those here. I thought we could open them together." Honor said, turning to Josh. "Honey, would you mind grabbing the box from Logan's office please?"

"Mom, you sent presents?" Logan asked.

"Of course I did! It is Christmas after all!" Shira told him. "I got to go shopping with a nurse a couple weeks ago. Noel was sweet enough to take me. Her birthday was yesterday. She is so sweet."

"That would probably be why they named her Noel."

"She's a lovely girl. Very smart."

"Shira, it's nice to see you. I'm glad you are doing well." Lorelai said, then leaned over the couch and whispered in her daughter's ear. "I'm heading back downstairs."

"Ok, thanks Mom." Rory said softly.

"Congratulations Honor." Lorelai said then beckoned to the rest of the family to follow her back to the basement.

"You guys have quite the group there." Shira commented as all the extra people left the room.

"The whole family is here." Rory explained. "My parents are all here with my sisters, and April's mom came too. We've never done anything with her, so it's a special treat to have her here this year."

"That is very nice that they could all join you for the holidays."

"The grandparents and Rory's Dad are all staying with Honor. We both have very full houses." Logan added.

"It's been so much fun! We all went to see The Nutcracker Friday night, and last night we made gingerbread men, and ate a ton of candy. Rory's family is so much fun to have around!" Honor told her. "We've been having the best time! Maybe we'll have to do it again next year, and invite Josh's family as well."

"That sounds like a very large group." Shira told them.

"It'll be both babies first Christmas, so what better way to celebrate, than to have both families together. Rory, let's start planning next week."

"Yes! Definitely! I'm in!" Rory agreed.

"I'll help." Emily offered.

"Alright, it's settled then. Babies first Christmas with the entire family!

"That sounds lovely Honey." Shira told her.

"Here's the box." Josh said as he sat a large box in front of the couch.

"Thank you Dear." Honor smiled as she reached into the box, and handed out a couple gifts. "Josh, why don't you go first."

"Alright." he said as he took his gift and began to open it. "Hey Babe, check out this tie."

"It's so pretty! I love those colors!"

"Thank you Shira! This is great! I'll wear this a lot." Josh said as he handed his new tie to Richard.

"This is very nice, Son! That color of blue is so just regal. It's very lovely!"

"It will look great on you Joshua!" Shira commented.

"Ok, Rory, this one is for you." Honor said as she handed the next gift out.

"Thank you." Rory smiled as she began opening her gift. "Logan, check it out. It's a peek-a-boo baby shirt!" Rory said as she handed it to her husband, then pulled out a blue v-neck sweater. This is so pretty! I love it! Oh, look at the cute baby outfit!" Rory said noticing the tiny outfit at the bottom of the box. "It's adorable! Shira, thank you so much!"

"I wasn't sure what you needed, so I just got you fun stuff. You can never have too much clothes!"

"Thank you Shira! This was very sweet of you."

"Rory, let me see." Francine said as Honor handed her brother the next gift. "Rory, this sweater is going to look just amazing on you!"

"It'll really bring out your eyes." Emily agreed.

"Mom, thank you! This is awesome!" Logan said as he pulled a white lab coat out of his box, with 'Dr. L. Huntzberger, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital' embroidered on it.

"Put it on!" Honor instructed.

"Yes Logan, put it on." Emily agreed as Logan handed the box to Rory, and stood up to put the coat on.

"Oh Honey, that fits you like a glove!" Shira said excitedly.

"Very handsome!" Richard agreed.

"Thank you Mom! This really means a lot. Thank you so much!" Logan told her.

"You are welcome Sweetie! I can get you a few more if you need them."

"Actually, if you want to, we are opening a satellite general medicine family practice office right on the bottom floor of the HPG building, and I'll be the one running it."

"That is great Logan! I will get you another one that says Huntsberger Publishing Group on it! When is the new office opening?"

"In February. I am working with the contractors right now to get the office remodel done."

"That is very exciting Honey! I am very proud of you!" Shira told him.

"Really Mom?!" Logan asked in a shocked voice. "Thank you!"

"Oh don't act so surprised to hear that I'm proud of you."

"No offense, but I'm pretty sure that I've never heard you say that before."

"Don't be ridiculous. We've told you plenty. You've worked very hard to get where you are."

"Yes, I have. Thank you Mom. This really means a lot." Logan said as he settled back on the couch and slid his arm around his wife.

"You are very welcome Honey. I'll have a couple new coats made for you, and delivered to your house."

"Thank you Mom!"

"Dad, it's your turn." Honor announced as she passed a box to Mitchum.

"What about you Honor? You need to open a gift too." Mitchum told her.

"It's ok, I'll go last."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am. Open your gift Dad." Honor told him.

"Now Mitchum, this isn't your actual gift. Your gift is in Honor's garage. But this is a picture of it." Shira said as Mitchum removed the paper from his gift and lifted the lid from the small box.

"New golf clubs!"

"For when your doctors release you to play again."

"Thank you Shira! This was very nice dear!"

"I had Honor call your golf guy to make sure we got you the clubs you like."

"This is great. Hopefully I can play soon."

"Maybe we can set up a mini putting green for you in Honor's basement." Logan offered.

"That's a good idea." Honor agreed. "I think Josh would like that too."

"Alright Honor, it's your turn Honey." Shira told her.

"Ok." Honor agreed as she began to remove the paper from her gift.

"No Honey, I know you gave me a list of things that you want for both you and the baby, but I thought this might help you even more."

"Cute baby momma shirt." Honor smiled as she pulled a t-shirt out of her box, then noticed a book laying underneath it. "And what is this?" she asked pulling the book out of the box, and setting the box on the floor.

"Open it." Shira told her.

"Alright . . ." Honor agreed as she opened the book to see a set of floor plans.

"Honor, this is a book of different nursery designs that we can have done for baby Maxwell. Right inside the front cover is the information for an amazing design team, right there in the city. All you have to do is go through the book, pick out what you'd like, and give them a call, and they will take care of everything you need. Your father and I already set up an account, so everything will be billed to us. You can have the nursery of your dreams!"

"Wow! Thank you Mom! Thank you Dad!" Honor said excitedly as she flipped through the book.

"Rory, you can choose anything that you want as well. Honor told me that you've already got your nursery design started, but if you see something that you would like, you just give the design team a call, and they'll take care of it for you as well."

"Thank you Shira, that is very kind of you." Rory told her.

"Mitchum and I are very excited for both of your babies, aren't we Dear?"

"Whatever you all want, we will take care of it." Mitchum agreed.

"Thank you both!" Honor said excitedly as she got up from her seat, and walked over to hug Mitchum. "This is amazing! I am super excited!"

* * *

Note: I have a picture of what Shira's present from Emily was supposed to look like, but fanfiction refused to accept the formatting, no matter that I did, so I had to take it out, and attempt to describe it instead. If anyone wants me to, I can have my editor bff post the picture to her blog for you all to see. Just let me know.


	45. Chapter 45

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Self Quarantine Day ten billion ~~~

* Online summer school officially started this week

* Trying to figure out how the heck my 4 year old has an almost 101 fever when she hasn't been around anyone in months . . .

* I need tacos

I hope you are all doing well, and continue to remain healthy and happy.

* * *

"So your Mom is either really changing, or that rehab center has got her on some damn good drugs!" Rory commented as Logan followed her up the stairs to go put away their Christmas gifts.

"Right?! Remind me to call her therapist this week, so I can find out what kind of miracle drug she's on." Logan laughed.

"Did you know that a magical personality drug actually exists?"

"I had no idea, but that stuff needs to be immediately mass marketed because I know A LOT of people who could really benefit from it."

"I completely agree! That woman was pleasant! Not only did she send me a present, but it was actually very nice and thoughtful. THEN, she even offered to help with the nursery while she's having Honor's nursery done. Your mother hates me! That woman we talked to looks like Shira, but do you think she's had a complete brain transplant? Because she's NEVER been nice to me."

"She said that she's proud of me!"

"I know!"

"And then when I was shocked and speechless, she told me to not act so surprised to hear her say those words. And she bought me a customized lab coat!"

"Then she offered to have more made for you!" Rory added. "Something just doesn't add up here!"

"Hey, I don't mean to intrude on you guys, but can we talk about Mom's sudden personality change?" Honor asked a minute later, suddenly appearing in the doorway to Logan and Rory's bedroom.

"Mom said that she's proud of me!" Logan said, turning to face his sister.

"I know! And I'm speechless!"

"Is it bad that whatever miracle drug she's on, I hope you guys never have to take her off if it?" Rory asked.

"I just want to know what the miracle drug's name is so I can start prescribing it." Logan laughed.

"I want to like this new pleasant Mom, but she kind of terrifies me." Honor told them.

"What does Josh think?" Logan asked.

"He says those are some damn good drugs that they've got her on."

"I said the exact same thing." Rory chuckled.

"I don't understand where this new nice version of Mom came from. I'm wondering if it's just a relaxed California version of the dragon lady. And if it is, maybe we should move her out there permanently. Hell, maybe we'll send Dad there too." Logan told them.

"I think that might be the best idea you've ever had!" Honor agreed. "Whatever miracle drug they've got Mom on, maybe we can get Dad on the same thing. He's just been nasty lately."

"I know! Right after the first heart attack, Dad was actually being semi-pleasant. But now . . ."

"He's been really mean all week." Rory agreed.

"Something is going on with our parents, and I'm almost scared to ask what it is." Honor commented.

"Knock knock." a voice was heard from the bedroom door.

"Come on in, Mom." Rory answered.

"I'm sorry to intrude, but did I just hear Emily saying that Shira was pleasant and friendly to you guys?" Lorelai asked as she joined them in the bedroom.

"She said that she is proud of me!" Logan told her.

"That's what Josh said!" Lorelai told him, plopping down on the bed, completely baffled as to what was suddenly going on.

"She bought us nice, thoughful gifts, and told me to not act so surprised to hear he say that she's actually proud of me. She thinks she's said it before and swears that this wasn't the first time."

"Maybe just the first time in our lives that we can actually remember after we started having memories when we were like 3 or 4." Honor mused.

"What kind of miracle happy drug is she on?" Lorelai asked as Rory sat down on the bed next to her.

"That's the million dollar question!" Logan told her.

"I just don't get it. Mom has NEVER been this pleasant to be around. I actually enjoyed talking to her, and that is something that has never happened. Mom is one of those people that you tolerate because you have to, but definitely not someone that you actually enjoy spending time with. She's not Lorelai." Honor laughed.

"Mom, you didn't suddenly pull a Freaky Friday and switch bodies with Shira, did you?" Rory asked.

"Not that I know of. And for the record, that is a completely terrifying idea!" Lorelai told them.

"Logan, what do we do about this? Do you think it's permanent?" Honor asked.

"I doubt it. I'm going to call Mom's therapist this week. I may wait a few days, but I'm definitely going to start asking some questions because this friendly behavior definitely isn't normal!"

"But wouldn't it be nice if Mom actually changed, and she was pleasant to be around?"

"It would be. But I don't recommend getting your hopes up. Never in our lives, has mom ever been pleasant!"

"I know that, but do you ever think that maybe it might be nice to have a normal, happy, loving relationship with mom, like the kind that Rory and Lorelai have?"

"You do know that even I don't have that kind of relationship with my own mother, right?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, Mom and Grandma are constantly at each other's throats." Rory told them. "Sometimes I think that maybe the only reason that my mom and I have the freakishly close relationship that we do, is that we kind of both grew up together. I mean, Mom had me when she was only 16, so it was more or less a baby raising a baby. Mom and I are close because we are pretty close in age, so for me, it was more like growing up with my best friend, rather than a real Mom."

"I agree with Rory. I did things completely different with Rory than my mom did with me, and I think that the main reason that I was able to raise Rory the way I did, was that I was still a child myself, and trying to figure out my own life, and I didn't want for Rory anything that my parents had wanted for me. Rory was all that I had. It was always just her and I. Rory became my best friend, and it never occurred to me that maybe I should treat her any different. Up until Rory started college, we did everything together. I never really needed to be the type of parent that my parents were. I mean, there were a few minutes there, when Rory first got into Chilton, the couple days after she met Dean, that I had to pull the Mom card, and put my foot down about her switching schools, but otherwise Rory has always been a really great kid."

"Can we please not bring up ex boyfriends in front of my husband?" Rory asked.

"Why? Logan already knows about both of them, doesn't he?" Honor asked.

"Of course I do!" Logan told them. "I just don't like either of them."

"And he gets kind of squirmy and jealous." Rory added.

"I do not get jealous." Logan told them.

"Um, what was last week then?" Lorelai asked. "When Rory was talking to Jess, and you came to ask me if you had anything to worry about?"

"Oh really?!" Rory asked, cocking an eyebrow at her husband.

"I've just never liked the guy." Logan defended himself.

"And you wondered what he was up to. If he was trying to convince Rory to leave you." Lorelai added.

"I never said that."

"But you thought it."

"Of course, I'm a guy. That's just how my brain works."

"And I'm sure Rory does the same thing when she sees you talking to other girls." Honor said comfortingly.

"Yeah, but I've given her plenty of reasons to wonder in the past."

"Rory wouldn't have married you if she had any doubts."

"I wouldn't have gotten back together with you if I had any doubts." Rory added.

"Anyway!" Lorelai said, interrupting the change in topic. "I honestly don't think that anyone else on the planet has the freakish relationship with their mother that Rory and I do."

"For real! My first night at Yale, Mom had to come stay with me, because I missed her the second she left. I didn't want to be away from her. I wasn't ready yet. Who does that?!"

"You've definitely got a point there!" Honor agreed. "We couldn't wait to be free of our parents! Why do you think Logan loved boarding school so much?!"

"See, I wish I had gotten to go to boarding school!" Lorelai laughed. "I can't even imagine what that kind of freedom would have been like!"

"Knock knock." A voice called from the door. Everyone looked up to see Francine standing in the doorway. "I'm sorry to break up your little party, but could we borrow Logan for a moment, downstairs?"

"Sure, what's going on?" Logan asked.

"Luke was just checking on the Turkey in the oven, and managed to burn his arm."

"Oh my gosh!" Lorelai gasped, jumping up and running out of the room.

"Let's go." Logan said, holding his hand out to help Rory up from the bed, then following the girls out of the room, and down the stairs. "Honor, will you grab the medical bag out of my office, please?"

"Logan, thank goodness!" Emily said as Logan hurried into the kitchen.

"Let me see what we've got here." Logan said as he leaned over the sink where Luke was holding his arm under the water faucet.

"I went to baste the turkey, and I burned my arm trying to pull the rack out." Luke told him as Logan pulled his arm out from under the water.

"Can we get a little space here?" Logan asked as Honor set his medical bag on the kitchen counter.

"Everyone go back to what you were doing, the doctor needs some space to work." Emily said, making a shooing motion with her arms, trying to move people out of the way.

Anna, would you mind basting the turkey for me?" Luke asked.

"No problem, I've got it." Anna agreed.

"All these people in the house, and only two who know how to cook." Luke joked.

"Make that three." Logan told him. "I've only made a turkey once in my life, while I was away at boarding school, but I'm pretty sure I can still manage to do it myself. It looks like you've probably got a second degree burn here. It's going to be kind of painful for a while, but it could definitely be a lot worse. I'll get you wrapped up, but we've gotta keep it clean, and bandaged up for a while. You're here for the new few days, so I'll be able to keep an eye on you until you leave. What is your pain level on a scale of 1-10?"

"About a 7."

"I don't have any good pain killer here, except maybe some whiskey. I can take you down to the ER though, and get you all bandaged up there, if you'd like."

"No, I don't think the ER is really necessary, do you?"

"Not at all. Now, if I was working today, that would be an entirely different story. Hey Ace, would you mind going in the safe and grabbing me a bottle of whiskey?"

"No problem." Rory smiled.

"You keep alcohol in your safe?" April asked.

"I'll explain it later." Honor told her.

"Let's go sit down at the table, I think it'll be easier if you're comfortable." Logan said as he reached for a towel for Luke's arm, and shut off the running water.

"That looks bad." Lorelai said as she helped Luke over to the table, and got him seated.

"I've seen a lot worse."

"Well I would hope so!" Luke joked as Logan set his medical bag down on the table, and began to pull things out.

"Lorelai, there is a first aid kit in the bottom drawer next to the dishwasher, would you mind grabbing it for me?" Logan asked.

"Whiskey, and a shot glass." Rory said as she set a bottle of whiskey down next to Logan.

"Wow, you've got the good stuff!" Luke said, shocked to see the expensive bottle of Maccallan sitting in front of him.

"It's Logan's drink of choice."

"I think I've only had this stuff once."

"It's definitely worth the price." Logan smiled as he poured Luke a large shot. "Drink up."

*~ *~ * ~* _**Later That Evening**_ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

"Thanks for taking care of Luke today." Rory said as she snuggled into bed with Logan that night.

"You don't need to thank me for that. It's my job."

"I know. But I really appreciate you taking such great care of him."

"I'm just glad the burn wasn't worse. Luke is a pretty tough guy."

"He seemed to really like that whiskey."

"I can't say that I even blame him." Logan smiled. "Did you have a good Christmas?"

"I had an amazing Christmas! I love having the whole family here. I've never had my whole family together for a holiday, in my life!"

"I haven't either. And I have to admit, I kind of liked it."

"There have been a couple of hiccups."

"But definitely nothing that we couldn't handle."

"I kind of wish that your mom had gotten to be here though. I feel like she missed out."

"I agree, but my Mom is exactly where she needs to be right now."

"That's true. And she'll be here next year."

"Family day is coming up in a few weeks, at the rehab center. Did you want to go with me?"

"Do you think that it's ok for me to travel?"

"I don't see there being any problem, but we'll check with Paris, just in case. You aren't quite half way through the pregnancy yet, and most airlines let you travel up until you hit 6 months. But we'll be flying privately, so technically, we can do whatever we want. Plus, you'll have a doctor with you at all times, so I'm sure everything will be fine. We can even take Paris with us if you want to."

"We'll see what Paris says about it, but getting away for a few days sounds nice. Is Honor going?"

"Unless Paris says otherwise. Honor's pregnancy is slightly high risk, so we definitely have to run the whole thing by Paris before we make any plans. But I'm pretty sure she'll clear you both for travel since I'll be going too."

"How warm do you think it'll be in California?"

"In the dead of winter? Probably in high 70s / low 80s."

"That sounds completely crazy!"

"Crazy, but amazing at the same time." Logan agreed.

"You work tomorrow, right?"

"Yep. 7am."

"That's early."

"It is. But this is what I traded for, so I could have Christmas off."

"I know. I'm not complaining. You're a doctor. You save lives every day. And I am so proud of you! It's just extra quiet around the office without you there cracking jokes, and ordering people around all day."

"Oh come on, I do not order people around all day."

"Oh really?! I specifically recall you ordering your uncle around just last week."

"That was me telling him to shut up at a board meeting. That's not an everyday occurrence."

"Because it was the first time that you've done that?"

"Definitely not the first." Logan chuckled.

"Or the hundredth."

"And I'm sure it won't be the last either."

"Exactly! The office is really quiet without you there yelling at your uncle."

"That idiot shouldn't be on the board of directors anyway. He's only there because my grandfather put him there, and I have yet to figure out a way to get rid of him."

"Does your Dad like him?"

"Hell no! But the jerk at least respects my Dad. Unfortunately he hates me, so I get treated like crap."

"So let's figure out a way to get rid of him then."

"He either needs to die, or sell his shares."

"So let's buy his shares then."

"He won't sell. I've tried several times."

"And those are the only two ways to get rid of him?"

"Yep! Trust me, I've been trying to get rid of the guy for years. Last time I complained to my Dad, I was told that if I wanted him gone, I'd have to buy him out. I tried. I offered the guy twice what his shares were worth."

"And?"

"He laughed in my face, and told me to go to hell."

"How long ago was this?"

"College."

"Logan, that was like ten years ago!"

"And you think he's changed in the last ten years?"

"I think that maybe it's possible."

"I think that you just like to see the best in people."

"I'm pretty sure that's why you conned me into taking on the CEO position, right?"

"If that's how you want to see it."

"Was there another reason? Other than the fact that you didn't want it, even though you are clearly the one doing the job anyway?"

"What are you talking about? I am NOT doing the job of the CEO!"

"Oh really?! Because I'm pretty sure that I haven't been teaching myself for the last couple months."

"I might be teaching you things, but you are the one running the company."

"If that's how you want to see it."

"Rory . . ." Logan sighed.

"Logan, I'm not trying to start a fight with you. I'm just pointing out that the only reason that you made me the CEO is because you don't want the job."

"And because you are super smart, and motivated, and capable, and you know the industry better than anybody I know. And I can trust you to keep the company going, and not run it directly into the ground."

"And?"

"And what?"

"And because you don't want it."

"Of course I don't want it! You said it yourself, I'm a doctor. I'm busy saving lives every day. I don't have time to run HPG."

"Except that you are working 3 days a week in the office with me, and 3 days a week in the hospital."

"Rory . . ."

"Logan . . ."

"What are you trying to say?"

"All I'm saying is that you are doing both jobs right now. Like it or not, you actually are doing the CEO job. You might be helping me learn how to do it, but you are still doing it. I know that you don't like to admit it, because you completely hate HPG, but like it or not, you are still running the company."

"Why do you keep telling me this?"

"Because as your wife, it's my job to give you a reality check whenever you need it. You say that I like to see the best in people. And one of those people is you."

"Your point is?"

"Twelve years ago I thought you were an over privileged, arrogant, self-centered, ass."

"I remember you using some other words."

"Oh, you want me to repeat those? . . . Jerk, ass, arrogant, inconsiderate, mindless, frat boy, lowlife, butt-faced miscreant?"

"And yet you married me."

"Because you changed. You proved me wrong. You showed me that there was more to you than just the selfish spoiled rich kid that you first appeared to be."

"Yeah, but I wanted to change."

"And now you're a doctor. You've changed a ton over the years. Who's to say that your uncle hasn't?"

"You heard the guy last week. His complete disdain and disrespect for me hasn't changed at all over the years."

"Well, maybe it's time that we make him an offer that he can't possibly refuse?"

"And what offer do you suggest we make him?"

"How many shares does he own?"

"Two or three."

"So we look up how much each share is worth right now, and we go from there."

"Feel free to try. That guy makes it his mission in life to make me miserable."

"You said that about your parents."

"And you saw my mother. She's completely drugged up on who knows what. You of all people, know that she's never been a pleasant person."

"You just need to learn to have a little bit more faith in people."

"Some days I wonder how you are always so positive. I know that Lorelai isn't like that. And neither are your Grandparents."

"My Grandpa is. He always sees the best in everyone. It takes a lot to make him see people's true colors sometimes."

"Your Grandpa is a really good person."

"My Grandpa always saw the best in you. Even when I couldn't."

"I'm glad you take after him. It's what helps make you CEO material."

"Other than the fact that I'm your wife and I'll do whatever you tell me to."

"Well, there's that too." Logan laughed.

"You need to get some sleep."

"So do you. It sounds like you have some plans in the works."

"I might."

"Well I'm sure you'll be telling me all about it later on."

"Probably."

"Go to sleep my Evil Genius."

"Evil Genius?"

"You know it's true."

"You make a good partner in crime."

"We've always been a great team."

"Yes we have. Which is why we make an amazing partner CEO."

"You just HAD to throw that in there!"

"You know that it's true."

"I know that I love you."

"I love you too Doctor Huntzberger." Rory smiled as she tilted her head up to kiss her husband. "I'll see you in the morning."


	46. Chapter 46

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Self Quarantine Day ten trillion ~~~

* Online summer school week two has started.

* Tropical storm Christobal has officially hit us.

* There is a giant covid outbreak in the city I live in (it's taken out a chicken processing plant over the last two weeks).

* Two people working in the same building as my husband have now tested positive (probably related to the outbreak across town).

* My husband has for sure been exposed meaning our whole family is now in danger.

* Thank goodness for face masks!

* Lysol is my bff!

I hope you are all doing well, and continue to remain healthy and happy.

* * *

**December 26, 2016**

**1pm**

**Columbia Presbyterian Hospital**

"Logan is going to completely freak out!" Rory said excitedly as she stood in the hospital lobby with her Grandfather, waiting while Logan was paged to meet them.

"We make a great team, you and I."

"Yes we do! You are my favorite manipulation buddy! There is no one better in the world, than you Grandpa."

"Well, my dear, you make an excellent partner! I have definitely taught you well over the years."

"Hey Ace! Richard! What are you guys doing here? Is everything ok?" Logan asked, as he approached the duo.

"Doctor Huntzberger, how are you doing this fine afternoon?" Richard asked.

"I'm doing well. How are you? If I didn't know better, I would think that you two are up to something?"

"Well, I can't say that your accusation is exactly wrong." Richard chuckled.

"Hey Babe, would you mind looking over this paperwork for me? It needs your signature, so I can get it sent out by the end of the day." Rory said, as she pulled a folder containing some paperwork out of her purse and handed it to Logan.

"What is this?" Logan asked.

"Why don't you open it and find out." Richard told him as Logan raised his eyebrows and looked at the pair questioningly.

"You two are definitely up to something . . ."

"Please, you and I both know that Grandpa would never let me do anything bad." Rory laughed as Logan slowly opened the folder to see what paperwork he had just been handed.

"No way!? Is this for real!?"

"Oh it's real alright!" Richard told him.

"Seriously?!"

"Uh huh!" Rory answered.

"You two managed to buy out Franklin Huntzberger?!"

"Bought him out, took him out. Potato po-tat-o." Rory told him.

"This is real? As in he's gone? Off the board? Off my last nerve? Out of my office?"

"Out of your life!" Richard confirmed. "He's moving to the Carribbean."

"No way! How much did this cost us?"

"Now what makes you think that it cost us anything?" Rory asked, feigning innocence.

"Please, he's a Huntzberger. And I tried to buy him out once before." Logan said as he flipped through the paperwork.

"He's boarding the company jet in an hour, and a moving company has been hired to pack up his house and transport his belongings to his new place of residence." Richard explained.

"For real?"

"And I had to buy his shares." Rory added.

"But he's gone. For good?"

"Off the board and out of our lives!"

"Ace! You are amazing!" Logan said excitedly as he threw his arms around his wife.

"I told you that people change."

"I am taking you guys to dinner tonight, to celebrate. Anywhere you want." Logan said as he let go of Rory, and looked to Richard. "I can't believe the two of you pulled this off."

"Well, Rory told me that you had a little headache to deal with on the board, and asked if I might be able to help her take care of it. It was the least I could do for my favorite Granddaughter."

"And I might have given his shares to Grandpa." Rory told him.

"Hey, I have no problem with that at all!" Logan laughed.

"When do you get off work?"

"In about an hour or so. Why don't you two head home, and decide where you want to go to dinner tonight. Call in a reservation, and I'll take everyone out tonight, when I get home."

"Deal!" Rory agreed as Logan handed her back the folder.

"Was there actually something that needed my signature, or was that just an excuse for you to come visit?"

"You'll need to sign the check before it goes out, and the stock transfer paperwork, but that can all be done later."

"Alright. I'll call the accountant."

"Thanks Babe!" Rory smiled.

"You guys head home and decide where you want to eat, and I'll meet you there as soon as I can."

"Come on my dear. We've got some planning to do." Richard said as he held his arm out for Rory.

"Drive safe." Logan told them.

"Will do!"

"I love you. Be safe coming home, ok?" Rory said giving Logan a quick kiss, then linking her arm through her Grandfather's and heading for the door. "Grandpa, did you see how excited Logan was?! We totally pulled it off!"

"That we did my dear. That we did." Richard cheerfully agreed as the automatic doors slid open, allowing the duo to pass through.

*** ~* ~* ~* 3:30pm – Huntzberger Home * ~ * ~ * ~ ***

"Hey Ace?! Anyone home?" Logan called, walking into what appeared to be a completely empty, silent house a couple hours later.

"Living room!" Rory called back.

"Hey, it's awfully quiet in here." Logan said as he walked into the living room to see Rory reading a book.

"That it is. How was work?"

"It was alright. How was your day? Where is everyone?"

"My day was great! But you already knew that."

"Did you and Richard decide where you want to go for dinner?"

"It's just the two of us. We can go wherever."

"Where is everyone? When I left this morning, we had a house full of people."

"There's a storm rolling in, and Grandma thought it would be best to head home before it got dark."

"So everyone left?"

"Anna and April left this morning for their girls trip. Dad, Gigi and Francine left shortly after because Dad had to get back for work. Mom and Luke left with Grandma and Grandpa about an hour ago. They were all going to stay, but with the storm coming in, Grandma thought it would be best for them all to get back home before it gets dark, so they could have everything ready if they needed it before the storm stars. The storm is supposed to hit us around midnight, and them around 4 or 5 in the morning."

"So it's just us tonight then."

"That's right." Rory said as she set her book down on the table in front of the couch.

"Did you want to go out, or would you rather stay in?"

"I'm ok with going out. We should be fine as long as we are home at a decent hour."

"You said Franklin was flying out on the company jet this afternoon?"

"They are in the air as we speak. Franklin, his wife and daughter. And I sent Doyle with them to make sure they don't steal the plane."

"With the storm rolling in, is Doyle going to be able to make it back?"

"I honestly don't know. I feel pretty bad because that didn't even occur to me until a little while ago when Mom and Grandma were telling me about the storm. The flight is under 4 hours, so there's a chance he'll make it back tonight. But if he doesn't we'll be paying for his hotel until it's safe to come home."

"Was Paris ok with all this?"

"I don't know, I haven't talked to her today. I'm guessing she won't be if he doesn't make it back."

"Why don't you go call her. Tell her that she can come here and we'll help with the kids if she wants to. We don't have five flights of stairs to contend with, so she'll probably jump on it."

"They have a nanny to help out."

"And five flights of stairs with no elevator." Logan pointed out.

"I'll call her."

"I'm going to go call Honor and see if they need anything before the storm hits." Logan said as he headed into his office to put his bag down.

"Baby wants Mexican food!" Rory called after him.

"Call Paris while you go change, and we'll go to El Parador." Logan called back.

"Hey Paris." Rory said a moment later, as Paris answered her phone.

"Rory, how are you feeling?" Paris asked.

"I'm good. I'm actually calling to check in on you."

"I'm alright. I hear you sent Doyle on a babysitting adventure to the Cayman Islands."

"I did. And I had no idea there was a storm rolling in until about an hour ago when I got home. I am so sorry! We are watching the weather, and hoping to get Doyle home safe tonight. But if they're unable to get back, Logan and I will be taking care of Doyle's hotel and all expenses until we can get him back home."

"I would expect no less."

"If you want to, you and the kids are welcome to come stay with us. Logan and I are going to dinner at El Parador if you'd like to join us. I know you have Mariqua, but our house has four less flights of stairs than yours does. You know you are welcome here any time. We are happy to help with the kids while Doyle is gone. Actually, we are happy to help any time, but especially while Doyle is gone."

"Thanks Rory, I appreciate the offer. We should be fine at home. La Parador sounds delicious though. What time should we meet you?"

"Can we meet at 5? Is that enough time?"

"I'll get the Munchkins dressed right now. They'll be excited to see you guys. They LOVE your presents!"

"I am excited to see them. I'm glad they love the presents. I had a lot of fun shopping for them."

"Is your Mom still with them? They've been begging for Nanna Lorelai!"

"She's not. Mom and Luke left with my Grandparents a little while ago. They were going to stay, but they wanted to get home before it got dark, in case they needed to do anything before the storm hits."

"That makes sense. I'm going to go get the kids ready. I'll see you at the restaurant."

"Thanks Paris. See you soon." Rory said, then ended the call, and headed for Logan's office. "Paris and the kids are meeting us at the restaurant at 5. I'm heading upstairs."

*** ~ * ~ * ~ * 5pm - El Parador * ~ * ~ * ~ ***

"Attie Ory!" Paris' kids cheered as they walked in the door of the restaurant to see Rory and Logan waiting for them.

"My babies! I've missed you guys!" Rory said as she crouched down to hug the twins.

"What do you say to Aunty Rory?" Paris asked.

"Thank you for my presents!" the twins both said together.

"They are so cute when they do that!" Rory gushed. "Are you guys hungry? Aunty Rory is starving and needs something eat. Should we get ourselves some good food?"

"Yes please!" the twins answered.

"I think you have the most well trained children in the state." Logan said as Rory stood back up, and reached for the kids' hands.

"Mr. Huntzberger, we have your table ready for you." a hostess said as she stepped up to the group.

"Perfect timing! Let's go!" Logan said, holding his arm out, directing everyone to follow the hostess to their table.

"Do you have chocolate milk?" Paris asked the hostess as they got settled at the table, and buckled the kids into booster seats.

"We sure do. I'll bring you a couple glasses. What can I get the rest of you to drink?"

"I'll take a lemonade." Rory answered.

"Same for me." Paris echoed.

"I guess you can make that three." Logan agreed.

"No problem. I'll be right back." the hostess smiled, then walked away.

"So Rory, care to explain today's babysitting adventure to me?" Paris asked as she took a seat between her kids.

"You'll actually like this one." Rory chuckled. "I totally pulled a Paris."

"How so?"

"Logan's uncle was on the board of directors, and was being a royal pain in the butt. Always arguing with us, questioning everything, making snide comments, and always provoking a fight with Logan over anything and everything he could think of. Logan and I were talking last night, and he was saying that the only way to get rid of the guy, and get him off the board, was either for the guy to kick the bucket, or for us to buy him out."

"I've tried to buy him out before, and the guy told me exactly where to shove it." Logan added.

"So this morning, I went to Grandpa, and asked for his advice on what to do to get the guy out. I told him what Logan said, and Grandpa agreed that buying him out was a heck of a lot faster, not to mention, easier, than waiting for nature to take its course."

"And way more legal than hiring someone to assist nature." Paris agreed.

"Exactly! So Grandpa and I went down to the office after breakfast, and we did a little bit of research, to find out exactly how much stock the guy owned in the company, and how much it would cost us to buy him out. Then we came up with a number that we thought would be a fair incentive to make him take our offer, and walk away, and a second number as a last resort."

"So you and Richard came up with a game plan." Paris commented as a server came over with their drinks, to take their food order.

_**Flashback to earlier that morning**_

"_So what you're saying is that five thousand is what his stock is worth?" Rory asked._

"_That is correct." Richard agreed." I would offer him seven and negotiate from there."_

"_So what do you think would be our best bet to get him out?"_

"_Well, how comfortable are you with offering him ten? It's twice what his shares are worth. Definitely way more than her deserves, I'm sure."_

"_I doubt Logan will want to go that high."_

"_So let's use ten as a last resort then. We'll go as high as 8, and play it by ear."_

"_Ok, so Grandpa how do we do this? How do we buy him out? Do we just call him in and say 'Hey Franklin, let me buy your shares?' I've never done this before."_

"_We call him in here, and talk to him a little bit. We ask how he's doing, how his Christmas was. Then we ask him what his interests and goals are, and where he sees himself in the future. We ask him about retirement, and if he's thought about taking a step back. It's a fishing expedition. We find out as much about him as we possibly can, and then we use it against him. Most of the Huntzberger family members have a second home somewhere out of town. Martha's Vineyard, the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe. We find out where his second home is, and we give him every reason to retire and move there permanently. We do what we need to do in order to get him out of HPG, and out of New York. If we need to, we buy him plane tickets for the first flight out."_

"_Well if we're going to be funding his travel, then he needs to take the low end of our offer."_

"_Exactly! See, you're learning! We discretely take notes as we talk, and build a plan as we go. Then when the moment is right, we spring it on him, and hope that he takes the bait."_

"_So what happens if we get him to agree to sell?"_

"_We immediately have him sign a contract before he has a chance to think things over and either back out, or come back with a counter offer."_

"_So we need to prepare a contract then."_

"_Yes, we need to have a general contract prepared that can quickly be filled in with details at the last second." Richard agreed._

"_Hey Doyle?" Rory said, pushing a button on the phone sitting on the desk next to her. "Can you come in here please?"_

"_What's going on?" Doyle asked, walking through the door a moment later._

"_Close the door, Son." Richard instructed._

"_Alright?"_

"_Doyle, we need your help with something." Rory told him._

"_I'm at your service. What can I do?"_

"_We need you to draw up a contract to buy out one of the board members." Richard explained._

"_Which Huntzberger are we axing?"_

"_Franklin." Rory answered._

"_Logan's favorite person."_

"_Exactly! Grandpa and I came up with what we think is a fair plan. But we need to put it into writing."_

"_And there will be some negotiations when we call him in for a sit down, so we will need your help with filling some things in so we can have him immediately sign, as soon as we get him to agree to our terms."_

"_So we need an amendable buy out contract." Doyle surmissed._

"_That is correct."_

"_Alright, that sounds easy enough. I'll be right back with my laptop." Doyle said, then quickly left the office, and ran next door to grab his computer._

**~ * ~ * ~ * 5:45pm, El Parador * ~ * ~ * ~ ***

"This food is amazing! I don't think I've had Mexican food this good in a really long time. How did you guys find this place?" Paris asked as they all sat eating their dinner.

"Logan and I have been trying different restaurants around town every time we go out. Someone at the office mentioned this place to me about a month ago, and Logan and I fell in love with it." Rory told her.

"It's the best Mexican food I've ever had, outside of Mexico and California." Logan agreed.

"There is some amazing Mexican food in Mazatlan." Paris told them. "This restaurant Doyle and I went to on our Honeymoon was just incredible. It's the best food I've ever had in my life!"

"I've never been to Mazatlan." Rory told her.

"Well it sounds like you guys need to go there then. Maybe when the baby is old enough, you can take a trip."

"Is this you volunteering to babysit?"

"I have a nanny."

"I'm kidding!" Rory told her.

"I'd be more than happy to babysit for you guys for a short time. But you know my schedule. We have a nanny for a reason. Between me working so much, and you keeping Doyle busy, Mariqua spends a lot of time with the kids."

"Well you guys are doing an amazing job, because your kids are incredibly well behaved."

"You guys are such good eaters." Logan said, admiring Paris and Doyle's kids as they quietly ate their dinner.

"They love Mexican food." Paris explained. Mariqua makes it for them a a lot. Quesadillas are their favorite."

"I hope our kids are as well behaved as yours." Rory told her.

"Unfortunately with Logan as their father, you may be screwed!" Paris said pointedly.

"Hey! I wasn't a bad kid." Logan defended himself.

"That's not the story that I've heard. I know for a fact that Rory was a complete saint, but you . . . Your sister has told me plenty of stories about your antics."

"Well with Rory as their mother, I'm sure we'll have a decent chance." Logan said, gently nudging his wife.

"So Rory, you, Richard and Doyle got the guy to agree to your terms?" Paris asked.

"It took some negotiations."

_**Flashback to earlier that morning**_

"_Hey Franklin! Thanks so much for coming in. Why don't you take a seat." Rory smiled as she welcomed Franklin into her office. "You remember my assistant Doyle, and my grandfather, right?"_

"_I do. How are you doing Richard. It's been a long time since we last saw each other. How is Emily?"_

"_Emily is doing very well. She is keeping busy getting ready for our new grand baby in the spring. How is Patricia?"_

"_Patricia is doing great! She's at home planning our next trip to our summer home, in the Caribbean."_

"_Oh I bet she's dreaming of much warmer weather right now. Winters in New England are brutal." Richard chuckled. "You have a daughter, don't you?"_

"_Yes, Tiffany. She just graduated from Yale over the summer."_

"_Yale sure is a great school. Runs in the family. What is Tiffany doing now that she's free of the confines of school?"_

"_Tiffany is actually living in Peru at the moment. She's a paleontologist. Right now she is on a dig of some sort. When we spoke with her yesterday, she said that the study she is working on will be a featured story for National Geographic in the coming months."_

"_Wow! That is amazing! What a unique job!" Rory commented. "You must be very proud of her."_

"_It sounds like she has a very important job. She didn't get to come home for the holidays?" Richard asked._

"_Not this year. Maybe in a few months." Franklin answered._

"_Well maybe you can go visit her soon. It's tough to be away from family during the holidays."_

"_Patricia was definitely disappointed, but such is life. Kids all have to grow up sometime."_

"_That they do. Just you wait though, before you know it, you'll have grandkids running all around your house."_

"_Maybe. That is all up to Tiffany. She's very focused on her career right now."_

"_Hey, there is nothing wrong with that!" Rory chimed in. "After I graduated, I was home for a week before leaving to work on the Campaign Trail with Barack Obama. I was gone for 18 months, with only like 14 days home total. It's ok to be focused on your career. I put my career first straight out of college too. I'm glad she's putting her own career first, instead of focusing on someone else. It's important to figure out who you are, separate from everything else. Figure out exactly what you want from life before trying to figure out how to fit others into it. It's for the best."_

"_I agree!" Richard smiled. "Maybe you and Patricia can go visit Tiffany in Peru. Maybe take a tour of South America while you're there. There are some wonderful sights to see out there. Argentina is beautiful!"_

"_Maybe we'll have to do that this next year. Patricia wants me to retire. Now that Tiffany is out of school Patricia thinks it would be nice to travel."_

"_Retirement is the greatest luxury! I'm only semi-retired now. I work when I want to, wherever I want to, and I travel with Emily. We come up here to spend time with Rory and Logan whenever we can. We take a month in Europe over the summer."_

"_Europe is Patricia's favorite."_

"_Well I can't say that I even blame her one single bit. Europe is amazing! I'm not sure we will be going this summer with the new baby coming, but you should definitely go for us. Have an amazing time!"_

"_Grandpa, you don't have to miss going to Europe because of me." Rory told him._

"_Don't be silly Sweetheart. Your Grandmother and I are planning to be right here with you to help you out with the baby, as much as you'll let us. We wouldn't dream of being anywhere else!" Richard said, reaching over to squeeze Rory's hand._

"_So Franklin, you said that your wife Patricia wants you to retire. What is stopping you?" Rory asked. "As much as we love having you here, if you want to go travel the world with your wife, your daughter is now out of college, so this is the perfect opportunity."_

"_I can't go until Mitchum comes back."_

"_Mitchum had two massive heart attacks. I'm not sure when he'll be back. He's got several more months of rehab ahead of him before his doctors will even consider thinking about the possibility of eventually allowing him to return. There is no point in you postponing your retirement to wait for him. Don't let what Mitchum is doing hold you back."_

"_I have to wait for Mitchum to get back before I can retire. Logan might have been raised in this company, but he has no idea how to run it. I can't let that irresponsible, mindless drunken playboy run HPG into the ground."_

"_Franklin, Logan isn't running, this company." Richard told him. "Rory is."_

"_What makes you think that Logan is running this company?" Rory asked. "He's not even here. I won't argue with you about Logan's past, but he is a doctor now, working full-time at the hospital. And in all honesty, he has zero interest in working here. Logan wants nothing to do with this place. And the only reason that he's been here at all, is to help get me acclimated."_

"_Logan sure acts like he's the one running things."_

"_Would you like me to call him, so he can tell you how much he despises this place?"_

"_Logan doesn't know the first thing about running this company. My father and Mitchum built this company from the ground up, an I'll be damned if I let that frat boy destroy all of their hard work!" Franklin said sternly._

"_Franklin, Logan has no interest in working here. Do you really think he would have put 8 years into going to medical school after graduating from Yale, if he planned to take over for Mitchum someday?" Richard asked. "Because that seems like an awful big waste of time and money if you ask me!"_

"_I probably shouldn't even be telling you this . . ." Rory started. "But when Mitchum had his first heart attack, someone needed to step up to run things, and Logan panicked. He is so busy with his medical career, and he was afraid that he was going to have to quit his job to come here to take over for Mitchum . . . Logan loves his job! I've seen it firsthand. He loves being a doctor. And he's damn good at it. There is no way that Logan was going to bail on his career, without a fight."_

"_Why didn't Honor take over then? Mitchum has two kids, you know." Franklin stated._

"_Honor has other things going on, and she's also taking care of Mitchum full-time. She has a lot on her plate, and even though she has a journalism degree from Yale, like the rest of us, she isn't in a position to step in. When Logan and Honor had to decide what to do with HPG while Mitchum recovers, they asked me to step in. I'm the one person that they both felt would be best suited to take over. I know the newspaper industry. I've worked my entire life to get to where I am today. I went to Chilton where I was on the newspaper staff, and graduated at the top of my class as Valedictorian, with honors. Then I went to Yale, and I worked with Mitchum as an intern at the Stamford Eagle Gazette right after he bought it. After that, I was the editor of the Yale Daily News. Then after I graduated, I worked as a political reporter on the campaign trail with Barack Obama for 18 months. And after that, I worked as a features writer and editor for the New York Times for several years, until Logan and Honor asked me to come help out, and take over for Mitchum. I have all the experience that I need to do this job. I am the current CEO, and I'll be here full-time until either Mitchum is able to come back, or until I decide to leave. But I can assure you that I am the one running this company. So your not wanting to leave Logan in charge of things is completely unfounded. I happen to think that Logan would do an incredible job if he were to take over for his father, but he doesn't want to. Logan fought to get out of here, and he is very happy in the career that he chose for himself. Do you really think that if Logan were the one running things that he wouldn't be here every single second, just like Mitchum always was?"_

"_Logan is here an awful lot."_

"_Because he's on the board. And because I asked him to help me out."_

"_So why does he act like he is running things?"_

"_He's a Huntzberger. It runs in your blood!" Rory laughed._

"_So what is your plan then? Are you planning to turn HPG over to the Gilmore family?"_

"_How well do you know the Gilmore familiy?" Richard asked._

"_Not very well obviously."_

"_Well let me tell you something . . . Rory is the last of the Gilmores. She is also a Hayden."_

"_Hayden . . . I know that name."_

"_You probably knew Strobe and Francine."_

"_Stobe passed several years ago, didn't he?"_

"_He did. His son Christopher, Rory's father, took over the family business."_

"_Strobe Hayden is your Grandfather?" Franklin asked, looking to Rory._

"_That is correct."_

"_Rory comes from a strong family background, and I've helped to guide her to the best of my ability. There is no doubt in my mind that Rory will continue to do a wonderful job leading HPG."_

"_Franklin, if you would like me to, I can show you our current financials. In the two months since I took over the company, our finances have dramatically improved, and I have no plans to end that upward trend. We are making more money now than we were when Mitchum was running things. I've been implementing a lot of change, and there are many more coming. One of those changes is that I am also going to be submitting articles for our papers, myself. That is something that Mitchum never did. I will cover whatever topics I need to, which in turn saves us having to hire several more writers for each individual department. I have the experience, and I am happy to help out where needed."_

"_You are going to write?"_

"_I am! I love writing! And the one great thing about being the boss is that I can assign myself the best pieces. And anything that I'm not comfortable writing about, or don't have much knowledge on, I can assign to someone else. I like to lead by example. And you know who else will be writing articles? My assistant, Doyle."_

"_I was the Editor of the Yale Daily News too." Doyle commented. "I used to be Rory's boss."_

"_So you're a journalist as well?" Franklin asked._

"_Rory hired me away from USA Today to get me to come here."_

"_So you're saying that with the two of you, we have direct experience from our biggest competitors."_

"_That is correct." Rory confirmed. "With Doyle and I on staff, we could easily over take both of those papers if we wanted to. We know exactly how they run, and how to take them down if they get in our way."_

"_Have you thought about buying them out?"_

"_It's been discussed."_

"_And?"_

"_Maybe in the future. Those would be very large purchases that I am not currently comfortable making."_

"_But if the opportunity were to present itself in the future."_

"_I'll look into it."_

"_You know that Mitchum has wanted to buy out the New York Times for years."_

"_That's what I've been told. If the opportunity were to present itself, I would definitely talk to Mitchum about it."_

"_Do you talk to Mitchum often?"_

"_I see him almost daily."_

"_We had breakfast with Mitchum this morning." Richard added._

"_So if I were to retire, at least you know what you are doing."_

"_I do." Rory agreed. "Look Franklin, today is December 26__th__. It's about to be a new year. Wouldn't you like to start your new year off on a fresh page? You can start an entire new chapter in your life right now. And I'm prepared to help you do it."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Franklin, you've been on the board here at HPG for a very long time. That is a ton of responsibility. And even if you retire and go traveling with your wife, it would be a pain in your butt to have to come back to New York all the time, for board meetings, whenever I need to call them. I would hate to interrupt your trip somewhere fabulous, just to drag you back here for a couple of hours. That would be very financially unfair to you. So I'm going to make you an offer. I will buy your shares of HPG, that way we can guarantee your uninterrupted freedom, and much deserved retirement. You've worked hard over the years, and you deserve to go enjoy yourself with your wife. Go visit your daughter in Peru. Take a month in Europe. Heck, you can even move into your home in the Caribbean if you want to. I doesn't have to be your summer home anymore. Maybe make your home here in New York your summer home. Of you can even sell your home here, and put all that money into your travels. Buy yourself a yacht, and sail around the world. You can even live on a cruise ship if you want to. I've heard that a lot of retired couples are doing that now. You can sail around the world on a permanent cruise, with all kinds of amazing amenities, the best food in the world, you get to meet different people all the time. Heck, I think I may even do that someday because it sounds so nice. Let me buy you out so you can go have an amazing time traveling with your wife."_

"_What's the catch?" Franklin asked._

"_There is no catch. I will pay you the full fair market value of what your shares at worth. I'll even pay you extra as a retirement gift."_

"_What's in it for you?"_

"_Nothing at all. Just the knowledge that I was able to help out a family member. It's the least that I can do."_

"_And who would you have replace me on the board?"_

"_I'm not sure. Maybe I'll ask my Grandfather to step in for a while? He's going to be in town all the time to visit my baby, so I might as well give him something to do."_

"_I would be happy to step in." Richard agreed._

"_See! It's all settled. If you would like to retire today, I'll get you a check to more than cover your shares. Maybe you can even go surprise your Daughter in Peru. Celebrate Christmas a little late with her."_

"_I'm not sure how soon we would be able to plan a trip."_

"_Well I do have access to the Huntzberger jet. What if I put you on the jet tonight? I will buy your shares and put you and Patricia on the plane tonight, to go see your daughter."_

"_What if we go to our home in the Cayman Islands instead?"_

"_How soon would you like to go? Our pilot is always on call."_

"_I'll text him right now." Doyle said as he reached for his phone._

"_Franklin, I did a little bit of research, and the shares of HPG that you own are worth a total of five grand. Why don't I give you seven, and I'll put you and your wife on the plane to the Cayman Islands tonight. You'll be basking in the gloriously warm weather before you know it! No more snow, no more cold! How does that sound?"_

"_I don't understand what is in it for you?"_

"_There is absolutely nothing in it for me. I'll have to find a replacement for you. Someone to take over your position both in the office and on the board. I'll be taking a big loss. But I'm not Mitchum, and I refuse to do things the way that he does. I actually care about my employees, and I want what is best for you, and for you to be happy. So I am willing to spend the rest of this week trying to fill the void that you will be leaving here at HPG, but I'll be taking comfort in the knowledge that I did something good for someone else. That I helped a family member to retire, and reconnect with his wife and daughter."_

"_So there is really no catch? That is very un-Huntzberger like."_

"_Well I was raised by Gilmores." Rory laughed. "If you'd like, I'll make the catch that you have to send me a post card from all of the fabulous places that you visit? How does that sound? You won't have to come back for constant board meetings, and you can brag all about the super fun things you've done and all the fabulous sights that you've gotten to see. I'm already getting jealous. I might have to come visit you."_

"_Promise you won't bring Logan. I like you, but Logan is too much like his father."_

"_Deal!" Rory agreed, holding out her hand._

"_The pilot says that he can have the jet ready as soon as 2pm. How does that sound?" Doyle asked._

"_Does 2:00 work for you?" Rory asked._

"_2:00 should be doable." Franklin agreed as he slowly reached out of shake Rory's hand._

"_Alright then. Let's get your retirement paperwork signed, and we'll get you out of here and on your way to sunnier climates." Rory smiled as Doyle pulled papers off of the printer and handed them to Rory._

**End of Flashback**

"Wow! So he agreed just like that?!" Logan asked.

"I promised to not bring you to visit him, and it made him happy. The guy really hates you!" Rory laughed.

"I have to say Gilmore, I'm impressed!" Paris told her. "You played very nice, even after the jerk completely insulted your husband."

"I wasn't about to argue with him. You know Logan's reputation as well as anyone. Clearly, arguing with the guy wasn't going to end well, and we wanted to get him out as quickly and as painlessly as possible. Logan hates HPG. I just told the truth. Logan didn't want to take over that place, so he begged me to do it. I mean, Logan is my partner CEO, but as Logan continues to tell me, he doesn't want the job, and doesn't want me reminding him that he actually is helping me do it. There is no way Logan will ever agree that he actually is helping me run things. And his it was in his Uncle's best interest to stick with Logan's side of the story, so that's exactly what I did. Logan and Honor made me the CEO because neither of them wanted the job."

"I am shocked and completely amazed by you!" Logan said as he slid his arm around his wife. "I never thought that Franklin would willingly retire. That guy would have made sure to outlive me, just so he could make my life miserable."

"Hey, you wanted him out, and I got it done."

"And you did it nicely, and convinced the guy that you were doing him a favor. That guy got Gilmored!"

"What can I say, I was raised by the best!" Rory smiled proudly.

"I am so proud of you right now, Ace!"

"I purposely sent Doyle on the plane with the guy under the guise that Doyle is helping to make sure they have an amazing flight, but really so that I can be sure we get the jet and pilot back in one piece. Sorry I had to borrow your husband Paris, but the guy needed a babysitter, and there is no way you would have let me go."

"Good call! You were definitely not getting on a plane today. You'll need a proper exam first, and we'll need to get a game plan in place, just in case something happens. If you plan on going anywhere, I need at least a week's notice."

"How about a month's notice?" Logan asked. "Family weekend is coming up at my mom's rehab facility, and I think it would be nice for Rory to be there with me."

"You can come too." Rory told her. "Please come! It'll be more fun. And festive!"


	47. Chapter 47

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Self Quarantine Day fifty trillion ~~~

* Online summer school week two

* There is a giant covid outbreak in the city I live in (it's taken out a chicken processing plant over the last two weeks).

* Two people working in the same building as my husband have now tested positive (probably related to the outbreak across town).

* It's HOT!

I hope you are all doing well, and continue to remain healthy and happy. Thank you again to everyone who has read and left me reviews. I absolutely LOVE reading them! :-D

* * *

"I'm sorry you guys, I know we are running late, but it's going to be a few more minutes." Rory said as she walked through the conference room, and pulled down a large projector screen.

"Board meetings never started late when Mitchum was in charge." someone spoke up.

"Well Mitchum isn't in charge anymore, I am! Our profits are up, the staff is happy, and I don't really care for anyone's attitude today, so if you have a problem with waiting on a couple more board members, you can and will be replaced!"

"Hey Rory, I've got the conference call ready, do you want me to connect you?" Doyle asked, walking into the room carrying a computer.

"Yes please! We are still waiting for Logan though."

"He's just finishing up a call downstairs, he should be here momentarily."

"Thanks Doyle."

"Where is Franklin?" one of the board members asked.

"Franklin retired and moved to the Cayman Islands." Rory answered as Doyle got the conference call connected.

"When did that happen?"

"Earlier this week."

"But shouldn't he be here for board meetings?"

"Not anymore. Franklin sold his shares."

"To who?"

"To me! Can we be done with all the questions now?"

"To you? So then you'll be appointing someone to take his place on the board?"

"I already have. And anyone who has a problem with it is more than welcome to sell me their shares and leave as well. Now, let's move on." Rory said as the screen at the front of the room came alive.

"Mrs. Huntzberger! So nice to see you today!" a friendly voice greeted.

"Mr. Gilmore! How are you this morning?"

"I'm doing good Sweetheart, how are you? Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm doing alright Grandpa, thank you for asking. Everyone, this is my Grandfather, Richard Gilmore. He'll be taking Franklin's place on the board. Mr. Gilmore lives in Hartford, so he'll be joining us via video conference when he's not in town."

"Richard! You sure are a large presence in this room!" Logan said as he walked into the conference room and stood next to his wife.

"Doctor Huntzberger! How are you this fine morning?"

"I am doing great! How are you? How is Emily? Are you guys still snowed in?"

"The snow has started melting. It really wasn't too bad. How did you guys fare?"

"It wasn't too bad here either. Just cold."

"Alright everyone, we're ready to start. This is going to be pretty quick. It's Friday, tomorrow is New Year's eve, and I'm sure you all have some place else to be." Rory started. "Mr. Gilmore, did you get the documents I e-mailed you?"

"I did." Richard confirmed.

"Wonderful! Let's start with our closing financials for 2016. We are ending the year on an upward trend. As many of you know, we've been making a lot of changes here at HPG in the last few months, and those changes have been yielding some very positive results. Our numbers are up in every department, and as long as we stick to the plan that I've implemented, those numbers should continue to rise in the new year. Next, we have our publications. We will be adding several more newspapers throughout the next year. Every paper that we take over means we gain all of their employees. As always, every new paper will be thoroughly vetted, and a transition team will be put in place for each new acquisition, to assist the editor going forward. Our overseas offices continue to do very well, and I hope to visit each one in the new year. Our next item of business is sure to be an employee favorite. Logan, would you like to take over?"

"Yes, please." Logan answered as Rory took a seat at the table, and Logan placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "As Rory mentioned, this news will probably be an employee favorite, as it is sure to immediately benefit every HPG employee in the building, as well as the nearby surrounding areas. Many of you may have noticed the corner office on the first floor has begun to undergo construction. That office is in the process of being transformed into an employee clinic, set to open in early March. Rory and I have already worked everything out with our current health insurance company, and with the generous partnership that we have worked out with Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, the employee clinic will be fully funded by the hospital. We will be a HPG and hospital employee only clinic meaning that we will only be taking patients from the two companies, as well as employees' immediate family members; meaning your spouses and children who are currently enrolled for coverage through our insurance plan. The clinic's co-pay will be significantly less, which will encourage employees to be seen there rather than at any other doctor. We will also have an appointment scheduling system put in place so that each employee can schedule a time to visit the clinic, right from their desk. Because we will only be accepting employees at the clinic, we will be allowing the appointments to happen during the work day. We will be allowing employees to use their breaks to visit the clinic, without having to clock out, no matter the length of time needed. The only time someone will need to clock out, is if they need to go pick up a family member to bring them to the clinic, such as a child who is at school. As long as the employee is inside our building, they will continue to be paid while seeing a doctor."

"Is the hospital providing a specific staff, or will it be rotating like other clinics?" Richard asked.

"That is an excellent question, thank you Richard. The official doctor who will be on staff at all times in the clinic, will be me! I will be working with the hospital's HR department and scheduling team to have a nurse permanently of staff as well, but anyone else that is needed to help run the office, will be rotating assignments from the hospital. Columbia is also a teaching hospital, so there is no telling if I will be getting any student doctors or nurses coming in as part of the internship program."

"What about your personal leave and vacation time? Will the clinic be closed when you are out of the office?" another board member asked.

"It will not. As you all know, Rory and I will be having a baby in the spring, and I will definitely be taking some time off to welcome my daughter into the world. While I am out of the office, and working from home to cover for my wife, there will be another doctor from the hospital taking my place in the clinic. I will still be on call, and available if needed, but the hospital will be providing a temporary replacement for any time that I am unavailable. Like all doctors, I am required by law to keep up with my annual training, so when I am out of the office at seminars, someone will be available to cover for me. The clinic will be open the exact same hours as HPG, and there will be someone available during that time. We will be able to do everything that a regular clinic is able to do, and will be referring anyone with a need to one of the 60 different specialty departments within the Columbia University Hospital system."

"Will you still be working inside the hospital, or just in the clinic when it opens?" Richard asked.

"When our employee clinic opens I will strictly be running the clinic, but if I'm needed at the hospital, they'll be able to call for me to go help out."

"When will this new clinic be announced to employees?" someone asked.

"The announcement will go out to employees probably next week, and in our papers the following day."

"Logan, are you licensed to run this type of clinic?" another board member asked.

"Uncle Sylvester, you are aware that I graduated from medical school, aren't you?"

"With what degree?"

"I have a PhD in Immunology and Genetics, and an MD in Internal Medicine. I've been working in the emergency room for the last year, and following my four year internship where I rotated throughout the hospital, mostly between the internal medicine, and emergency medicine floors. Would you like to see my licensing paperwork?"

"Actually yes, that would be great." Sylvester answered.

"Fine!" Logan agreed reaching into his pocket for his wallet. "Here is a copy of my hospital ID, as well as my medical license from the New York medical board, as well as my license from the Connecticut medical board. On those two cards you will see the documentation that you need for both of my PhD studies, as well as my MD, and my license number. If you would like to call the medical board yourself, I'm sure they would love to confirm for you that I am indeed licensed to practice medicine in the two states I am currently licensed in. Should I decide to add another state to my licensing, would you like me to alert you?"

"Thank you Logan, but I don't think that will be necessary." Richard said, interrupting the stare down Logan was currently engaged in with his uncle.

"Sylvester, as I said earlier, if you would like to step back from the board, I would be more than willing to buy your shares, and appoint your replacement. Just let me know." Rory commented.

"Is that what you did to Franklin?" Sylvester asked.

"Franklin retired, but yes, it was. I bought him out to give him the freedom of not having to interrupt his world travel with his wife in order to come back here for board meetings. I was happy to help him out with his retirement, and I would be more than happy to do the same for you at any time. Please, let me know when you are ready to discuss it."

"Rory, is there any other business that we need to discuss today?" Logan asked as his cards were passed back to him.

"No, I think that is it."

"Alrighty then. Does anybody have any questions?"

"How is your father doing?" Sylvester asked.

"When is Mitchum coming back?" another board member joined in.

"My father is doing alright at the moment, thank you for asking. I just saw him this morning. At the moment, there are no current plans for him to be released to come back to work. He had two massive heart attacks and is continuing on with his rehabilitation. It will be several more months before his team will be discussing any plans to release him to do any kind of work. I'll let you all know when and if that happens." Logan answered confidently. "Now you are all free to go. Have a happy and safe New Year, and we will see you all next year!" Logan said, then watched as everyone got up from their seats and began to leave the room.

"Rory, are you feeling ok?" Richard was heard asking, as he had not ended his end of the video link, and watched as Rory bent over to lay her head in her arms on the table in front of her.

"She's got really bad morning sickness today." Logan answered. "She's thrown up 3 times since waking up, and a couple last night."

"Honey, is there anything we can do for you? Do I need to come up?" Rory didn't move at all.

"Thank you Richard, we're ok at the moment. I think I'm going to take her to the hospital for some fluids. I'll let you know if anything changes." Logan told him.

"Alright. Call or text me if you need anything. I'll keep my phone on. We love you guys."

"Thanks Grandpa. Love you." Rory said softly. Logan gently rubbed Rory's back, and watched as the video call was ended.

"Do you need anything?" Doyle asked.

"I'm going to throw up." Rory mumbled. Raising her head, and quickly slapping her hand over her mouth.

"Trash can!" Logan said turning to grab the trashcan from the corner, and handing it to Rory, then holding her hair back while she emptied her stomach into the can in front of her. "Doyle, will you call Paris and ask her to meet us at the ER? I'm going to head there with Rory right now."

"Will do. I'll take care of the trash can for you. Don't even worry about it. I hope you feel better Rory." Doyle said as he pulled his phone out and quickly dialed his wife's number.

"Come on Ace. Let's get you out of here. Can you walk, or would you like me to carry you? Or I can call an ambulance if you're too weak."

"No, I think I can walk. I don't want a scene." Rory said as she set the trash can back on the floor, and allowed Logan to help her up from the chair she was seated in.

"Hey Paris, Logan wants you to meet him in the ER." Doyle told his wife, as soon as she answered the phone. "He's bringing Rory in for fluids . . . Yes, frequent vomiting . . . She just threw up in a trash can in the conference room, and frankly, she looks like crap."

"Gee, thanks Doyle!" Rory said as she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, they're leaving now . . . Alright, I'll let them know. Thanks Babe!" Doyle said as he disconnected the call. "Paris said she'll meet you there in the next half hour. She's got a patient waiting, but she'll head down as soon as she finishes up."

"Thanks Doyle." Logan said as he reached for the trash can.

"You go, I've got it."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. You just worry about Rory. I'll call you if I need anything."

"Thanks Doyle. Make sure everyone is out of the office by 3."

"I'll take care of it. Feel better Rory." Doyle said grabbing the trash can, then following the Huntzbergers out of the office.

**Twenty Minutes later**

**Columbia Presbyterian Hospital**

**Emergency Room**

"Doctor Huntzberger, I didn't see you on the schedule, are you working today?" the nurse manning the registration desk asked as Logan approached with Rory.

"I'm not. What rooms are open?"

"Room 23 is free."

"I'll take it. Don't worry about registering, I'll take care of it."

"Do you need anything?"

"Is Valerie here today?"

"She is. Would you like me to send her in?"

"Yes please. With an IV kit and a bag of fluids."

"No problem."

"Thank you Stacy." Logan smiled, then led Rory through the doors behind the desk, and back to a room. "Ace, I know you're feeling pretty miserable. Do you want me to have Honor bring you some more comfortable clothes?"

"It doesn't matter. I just want to curl up and go sleep."

"Ok, just let me get you up on the monitors, and get an IV started, then you can sleep as long as you want, alright?"

"That's fine." Rory said as she took a seat on the bed as soon as they walked into the room.

"Here's another pillow. I'm going to go grab you a warm blanket."

"Thank you." Rory said as she kicked off her shoes and watched Logan leave the room.

"Huntzberger, where is she?" Paris asked, seeing Logan in the hallway.

"Twenty three. I'll be there in a minute."

"Did you get her registered?"

"Not yet. We just got here."

"I'll do it. Grab me an ultrasound." Paris said, then turned and headed to Rory's room. "Rory, how are you feeling?"

"Horrible."

"Doyle said you've thrown up several times."

"Four times this morning, and 3 last night."

"Do you have any pain, or have you been bleeding at all?"

"No bleeding, but my stomach is cramping, and my head hurts."

"I'm going to order a flu test." Paris said moving over to the computer. "You're only 15 weeks, so you're still early. Barely out of the first trimester. I'm going to do an ultrasound too, and run a few blood tests. We'll figure out what is making you so sick."

"Thank you Paris."

"Oh, Doctor Gellar! It's nice to see you! I thought Doctor Huntzberger was in here." Valerie said as she walked into Rory's room carrying the supplies Logan had requested. "Mrs. Huntzberger, what are you doing here? Is everything ok?"

"Is that IV supplies?" Paris asked.

"It is. I was told Doctor Huntzberger asked for it."

"Go ahead and get her IV started. I'm getting Rory all pulled up in the computer. She'll need some blood drawn for testing, and a flu swab. Go ahead and draw 4 vials."

"Ok, let me go grab some more supplies, and I'll be right back." Valerie said, then hurried out of the room.

"Ace, I got your blanket. Paris, make sure to give me access." Logan said as he walked into the room, stepping past where Paris was typing away on the computer, and began to wrap Rory up in the blanket he brought in.

"You know you aren't supposed to be treating your wife." Paris commented.

"I'm not treating her, you are. I'm just consulting, so I need access. Where did Valerie go?"

"To get supplies."

"I guess I'll start the IV then."

"She needs a blood draw. I think Valerie is getting vials. Do you even know how to start an IV?"

"Really Paris?! You act like I haven't done this before."

"You're a doctor, starting an IV is the nurses' job."

"I do it all the time when it's busy."

"So you're confidant that you can do it without killing her?"

"Paris! Really?! She's my wife. I'm pretty sure I can handle it. If you want to, you can watch me do it. After all, you are the one who taught me how."

"Do you want to deliver the baby yourself too?"

"I'm sure I could, but it's not like you would ever allow me to do it, so what's the point?"

"Will you two please stop arguing? My head hurts enough without having to listen to you bicker." Rory said as Logan finished tucking the blanket around her, and moved toward where Valerie had placed the IV supplies. "

"Here's a barf bag." Logan said as he grabbed a blue plastic bag, and handed it to Rory. "Are you comfortable enough?"

"I'm fine." Rory said softly.

"Hi Janelle, it's Doctor Gellar." Paris said after quickly dialing a number on her phone. "Would you mind going into my office and grabbing the throw blanket off my couch, and sending it down to ER 23 for me please? . . . Yes, I'll be here running some tests . . . Alright, thank you. Rory, I got you a warmer, softer blanket. It'll help you feel more comfortable."

"Thank you Paris."

"Sorry Rory, I need to untuck you a little bit so I can get to your stomach. We're going to get these tests out of the way as fast as we can, so you can get some rest. Tell me where it hurts." Paris said as she began pressing on Rory's stomach."

"Right there."

"Pain level one to ten?"

"Six."

"Rolling, stabbing, steady pain?"

"Kind of rolling but steady. It feel like cramps."

"More or less painful than normal?"

"About the same."

"Logan, will you bring me the ultrasound please?" Paris asked as she pushed Rory's top up, and lowered the waistband of her skirt. "Alright, this is going to be a little cold." Logan watched as Paris squirted some gel on Rory's stomach, then began to move the small wand around. "Alright . . . Heartbeat looks good. She's moving around. Have you been able to feel her kicking at all?"

"I don't know, I'm not sure. I've felt some fluttering type stuff."

"That would be the baby moving around. It'll become more defined soon. You'll be able to see her rolling around. It's kind of freaky fun to watch. Doyle and I used to tease the babies with a flashlight, or start poking at them to make them kick us."

"There is still only one, right?" Rory asked.

"Why do you ask?"

"Both of my best friends randomly had twins on the first try."

"Well you definitely lucked out with only one." Paris told her. "Let me check a few things, then I'll show you the baby."

"What are you looking for?" Logan asked.

"Just checking other organs to see if there is anything we should be concerned about. Anything that could be causing pain and vomiting. Why don't you get that IV started."

"Ace, which arm to you want your IV in?"

"Whichever is easiest for you."

"Why don't you give me your left arm. Do you want me to talk you through it?"

"No, I don't even care."

"Here are the vials for the blood draw." Valerie said as she walked back into the room.

"Thanks Valerie. Would you mind grabbing me a child kit? Rory's veins are really small from dehydration." Logan said as he wiped down Rory's arm with an alcohol wipe.

"Are you going to be able to get it started, or do you need me to do it?" Paris asked.

"I can do it Paris. I started an IV on a 6 year old just yesterday. I've got this."

"Here you go Doctor Huntzberger." Valerie said as she handed over the kit.

"Thank you. Alright Ace, either close your eyes, or look away." Logan said as he opened the kit, and proceeded to get everything ready to start the IV.

"Hey Logan, why don't you let Valerie do that." Paris said, motioning for Logan to come to her side.

"Alright?"

"Here, I've got it." Valerie said as she stepped in, and took over the IV placement for Logan.

"Look right here." Paris said, pointing to the screen in front of her.

"Is that her kidneys?"

"It is."

"Hey Ace?"

"Yeah?" Rory asked weakly.

"Honey, have you ever had kidney stones before?"

"Not that I know of."

"It's pretty common in pregnancy. Especially in the second and third trimester." Paris explained. "It looks like you've got a couple of them in there. They look small enough that we can either try to flush them out, or we can go in with a utereroscope and remove them."

"Is that safe?" Logan asked.

"It is. Because Rory isn't in severe pain, I recommend that we keep her comfortable and try to flush them out. If the pain gets worse, we can go in to remove them. I want to run her blood and a flu swab just in case, but most likely the pain and vomiting is from the stones. I'll admit Rory for observation, unless you want to go home tonight."

"She's pretty dehydrated. We need to get the nausea under control. None of the medication I've given her has been working."

"Alright, then let's admit her. How bad has her morning sickness been other than today?"

"It comes and goes. Some days are better than others. Lately it's been a little worse than normal."

"Would you agree with Hyperemesis Gravidarum?"

"I would. I've definitely seen worse. If I weren't a doctor and didn't know how to treat it myself, I would have been more concerned, but I've been doing my best to keep everything under control. I fully agree that she qualifies for that diagnosis though. I've just been avoiding bringing in as long as she could eat at least one meal a day."

"Alright then, let's get these tests sent out, and I'll see about getting her up to a room."

"Thank you Paris."

"I'm going to put her up in VIP. I don't want her on the fourth floor, but I can't overwhelm L&D either."

"That works. The rooms and bigger and more comfortable up there anyway. I'm sure our insurance will cover it."

"And if not, it's not like you can't afford it yourself." Paris commented. "Have you called Lorelai?"

"Not yet, but I will."

"Doctor Gellar, here is the blanket from your office." a nurse said as she walked into the room carrying a fluffy purple blanket.

"Thank you Serafina. I'll be back in the office within an hour."

"No problem. I'll let reception know." the nurse smiled, then headed out of the room.

"Alright Rory, here you go. Let's get you nice and warm." Paris said as she laid the blanket over Rory, and tucked her in tightly. "I'm going to go get you some medicine to help with your pain and vomiting, and then I'll go up to VIP to get your room ready, ok?"

"Thank you Paris."

"Is there anything that I can get for you? I can run by your house if you'd like."

"I'm ok right now. But thank you for being here."

"There is nowhere else that I would even dream of being. I'll be right back." Paris said gently rubbing Rory's back, then heading out of the room.

"Mrs. Huntzberger, I need to swab your nose." Valerie said pulling a large Q-tip out of a package.

"You definitely have kidney stones, but we're covering all of our bases, just in case." Logan said softly as he sat down on the bed next to Rory, and gently stroked her head as Logan's phone began to ring in his pocket. "It's your Mom." Logan said after pulling the phone out to see who was calling.

"Grandpa probably told her. She's probably on her way."

"Hey Mom. I'm guessing Richard called you?"

"He did. I'm on the road about halfway there. What do you need? How is Rory?" Lorelai asked.

"We are still in the ER, but Paris is admitting her. We are still waiting on the blood work and the flu swab we just did, but right now it looks like kidney stones and Hyperemesis Gravidarum."

"How long will she be in the hospital?"

"Hopefully only overnight. We are trying to flush the stones out, but if the pain gets worse, we'll go in and remove them."

"Ok, so it's definitely treatable then."

"Definitely."

"So I'll go buy your house, and pick up some supplies. I'm guessing you both need clothes."

"Don't worry about it, I can go get them. Why don't you come stay with Rory, and I'll run home, and let Honor know what is going on."

"That works too."

"So it's about eleven right now, so we'll see you when, in about an hour?" Logan asked.

"Probably. Traffic isn't bad at all today. I'll stay with you guys at least through the weekend, or until Rory is feeling better."

"Whatever you want to do."

"Luke will come up either later tonight, or tomorrow."

"That works. We were supposed to go out with friends tomorrow, but that's obviously not happening anymore."

"Finn's annual New Year's Eve party?"

"You should go in our place."

"Not a chance!" Lorelai laughed. "We'll have our own party at your house. Maybe we'll do a Gilmore movie night."

"That sounds perfect.

"I'm going to let you go. I need to call my parents and Luke with the update. Give Rory a kiss for me and tell her that I'll be there soon."

"I will. Thanks Lorelai. You're always here when we need you."

"Hey, it's what us Moms do. I'll see you soon. Love you guys."

"We love you too. Drive safe." Logan said as he ended the call. "Your mom is on her way." Logan said gently kissing Rory's head. "That kiss is from her. She'll be here in about an hour."

"Ok." Rory said softly.

"Do you need to use the bathroom or anything?"

"No. I'm ok right now. Just really tired."

"Go to sleep baby. I'll be right here with you." Logan told her as he stretched out on the bed next to her, and slid his arm over her shoulders. Rory gave him a half smile, then snuggled into his side and closed her eyes.

"You comfortable enough?"

"I am now. You make a good pillow."

"I will never understand that." Logan chuckled. "I'm supposed to work tonight, but I'm going to call over to HR and let them know that I'm inpatient with you."

"No, Logan, that's ok. I don't want you to call out. My mom is coming, and it's not like you don't work here in the hospital."

"Ace, come on. I'm not going to leave you."

"You won't be leaving me. You'll just be taking care of other patients too instead of just me. You know that you'll be bored sitting here. I really don't mind."

"Rory . . ."

"No, Logan. Your patients need you."

"Rory, you need me more."

"And I have you. And my mom will be here too. I know you'll be in my room every few minutes to check on me. I don't want you to be sitting here bored. I'll be ok. I promise. Besides, I'm hooked up to the monitor, and I'm sure you'll be able to pull me up in the computer to check my stats all night."

"I'll think about it. What stuff do you want me to bring you from home?"

"Just some pajamas or sweats? Something comfortable."

"Do you want me to bring you a book or anything?"

"You can grab the book off my nightstand, and my computer. Maybe I can get some work done tonight."

"Babe, I don't want you working when you're sick."

"It's not anything important. Just research for some articles that I'm writing."

"I thought you finished those."

"I finished several, but I'm going to do more."

"Why?"

"Because I love writing. It's cathartic. Plus, I decided that I want to write a series of articles."

"What kind of series?"

"Well, one of them I'm going to do on rare diseases. Every week I am going to pick a new disease to highlight, and every day of the at week and I'll publish another article about whatever disease I pick for that week."

"When did you decide to do this?"

"The other day actually. I've almost got the first week's articles done. I was going to show you when I finish.

"So basically you're telling me that you are going to be writing an article for every day of the year about fifty two different rare diseases?"

"Pretty much."

"Rory, that's a lot of work! Do I need to remind you that you are currently pregnant, and in a few more months you will be out on maternity leave."

"Logan, I am perfectly capable of writing while I'm out."

"Babe, I want you sleeping while you're out. I don't want you worrying about work while we are taking care of a newborn."

"Please, you know I'll have all of those articles done ahead of time. You know me."

"Ace, I think you are getting in over your head."

"I'm planning to have other people help me, so it won't just be me doing all the writing."

"Other people? Like who?"

"Well, Doyle of course, and Paris. And I thought I could bribe you to write a couple articles."

"You know exactly how I feel about that one."

"Logan, you're a doctor. I know you had to write papers for medical school. Maybe I can use some of those."

"Not likely."

"Come on. Please?! It would really help to have some of the articles written by an actual doctor."

"You just said that you have Paris."

"But I also have you. If you want to, we'll publish your articles under my name so your Dad doesn't get any stupid ideas."

"Good thinking."

"You're just such an amazing writer, and being a doctor you will have a different take on the subject that I do, and I think that it will be really beneficial to have you on board."

"And what exactly is in it for me?"

"Happy wife, happy life?"

"And?"

"If you do this for me, it'll make me really happy, and then I can turn around and give all that happiness right back to you in other ways."

"I might need examples."

"We're in a hospital, and I've been throwing up."

"When we go home."

"Deal!"

"Alright, go to sleep Ace. We can talk about this later." Logan smiled, giving her a gentle kiss. "You need to get some rest."


	48. Chapter 48

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined Day # I don't even know anymore ~~~

* Online summer school week two is in the books

* There is a giant covid outbreak in the city I live in and the numbers here have more than tripled

* Two positive tests from people working in the same building as my husband (probably related to the outbreak across town)

* It's HOT!

* I'm gonna need more caffeine to survive the day with my kids

I hope you are all doing well, and continue to remain healthy and happy. Thank you again to everyone who has read and left me reviews. I absolutely LOVE reading them! It totally makes my day! :-D I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I am really looking forward to finishing the next one. I've been cracking myself up writing it.

* * *

"Hello, welcome to Columbia Presbyterian. How can I help you?" a nurse asked as Lorelai approached the registration desk in the emergency room.

"Hi, I'm looking for Doctor Huntzberger."

"I'm sorry Ma'am, but Doctor Huntzberger is with a patient."

"Yes, I know he is. I'm his mother. Would you please let him know that I'm here?"

"You're his mother?" the nurse asked, looking at Lorelai strangely.

"Well, mother in-law. He's married to my daughter. She's a patient here."

"Just one moment, let me find her. First name?"

"Lorelai. I'm not sure if you have her under Lorelai Gilmore or Lorelai Huntzberger."

"And what is your name, Ma'am?"

"Lorelai Gilmore."

"We do have Lorelai Huntzberger. Room twenty three, and it looks like you are on the list. Go ahead and head through the doors behind me, make a right at the nurses station, and the room will be on your left."

"Thank you so much!" Lorelai said in a sing song voice, then headed through the doors to find her family. "Good grief you people have tight security here. I ask for Doctor Huntzberger at the desk, and without even thinking about it, they tell me that you're with a patient."

"Well technically that's true." Logan chuckled.

"Then I tell the girl that I'm your mother, and she gives me this look, like I have got to be joking or something."

"We don't exactly look alike."

"I had to explain who I was, and apparently I'm on some list."

"Sorry, it comes with the Huntzberger name. No one knows that we're here, that I know of. But being who we are, if the media found out, they'd probably be all over us. Rory and I have kept a pretty low profile lately. But you've seen how bad it can get. I'm sure that once we have to make an appearance at some event, and they realize that Rory is pregnant, life will start to really suck again for a while."

"And I'm guessing that not showing up to events is completely out of the question?"

"Pretty much. We've managed to keep things pretty quiet with only close family and friends knowing until recently. But things will be changing very soon."

"How soon?"

"Too soon."

"How soon is too soon?"

"Well, under normal circumstances, I would have said tomorrow night, but there is no way we are going to Finn's party with Rory feeling this miserable. The Morgan annual New Year's Eve bash is a pretty well-known event around here. Honor will probably have to go in our place. I'm going to talk to her about it when I run home. You can definitely go with her, if you want to."

"No thank you. I have Mom duties to attend to. How's my baby doing?"

"We gave her some pain and nausea meds through her IV, and she passed out."

"Have the rest of the tests come back yet?"

"Not that I know of. I can check the computer, if you want to come take my place."

"I would love to!" Lorelai said smiling brightly as she set her purse on the chair next to the bed, and removed her coat.

"No, you're my pillow." Rory protested softly as Logan tried to get up.

"Ace, I need to get up. But your mom is here. She's going to take my place. You can lay on her."

"Ok . . ."

"Come here Honey." Lorelai said as she traded places with Logan.

"Hi Mommy."

"I'm sorry you're feeling so miserable."

"Did you bring food?"

"I can order you some if you think you can keep it down."

"I want a burger."

"She hasn't eaten since lunch yesterday." Logan said as he logged into the computer. "Let me check for the test results, then I'll run home for supplies, and pick up burgers on my way back."

"Is Luke here?" Rory asked.

"No, but he said he would come up either later today, or tomorrow." Lorelai answered.

"I want a burger from Luke's."

"I'll let him know that. I'm sure he'd be happy to make you one when he gets here."

"We still have all that food in the freezer from when you were here a few days ago." Logan commented.

"Well Luke knows that Rory and I can't cook, and with your crazy schedule, he just wants to make sure that you guys are eating right."

"I kind of feel bad that every time you two are here, Luke spends the whole time cooking and fixing things."

"He actually prefers it that way." Lorelai told him. "Luke wouldn't know what to do with himself if he actually had free time. He's a dad. He likes to take care of his family."

"Thanks for coming Mom. You didn't have to be here." Rory said as she snuggled up to Lorelai, laying her head on her mom's shoulder.

"Yes I did. You're my baby girl. I would never not be here for you."

"You were just here a few days ago."

"You gave me my own room at your house for a reason. I don't even have to pack a bag to come visit you anymore, because I have everything I need right there waiting for me."

"Did you hear that Logan? My mom has officially moved in with us."

"You're just now noticing that?" Logan laughed. "Just yesterday when I was putting laundry away, I asked where you wanted me to put the stack on the bed, and you told me they go to your mother's bedroom."

"Rosalynn normally helps with all of that, but you gave her the week off." Rory told him.

"So my bedding didn't get washed then?" Lorelai asked.

"It was washed, but I haven't made the bed yet. Rosalynn normally comes three days a week to help with the cleaning, but we gave her the holidays off, so she won't be back until Monday."

"That's ok, Mommy is here now, and Mommy can help with all that stuff."

"Thank you Mommy. I'm glad you're here."

"I'm happy to be here." Lorelai said kissing the top of her daughter's head.

"You know, the weirdest part of being part of this family is how much you all actually like each other." Logan told them. "I can't even imagine liking my family. Other than Honor of course."

"Hey, your family puts the fun in dysfunctional." Rory told him.

"No, my family puts the dysfunction in dysfunctional." Logan corrected.

"And the psycho." Lorelai added.

"True story! Babe, your test results came in."

"And?" Lorelai asked.

"Everything looks ok. Your white blood cell count is a little high, but otherwise it looks ok. I'll get Paris to add an antibiotic to your medication list. We still need to run a urine test whenever you decide you need to go."

"When are you moving her upstairs?"

"As soon as the room is ready. I'll call Paris right now."

"Are you feeling any better?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm a little light headed." Rory answered.

"That would be the pain meds." Logan told her.

"Do you think you can use the bathroom for me, so we can get that test in?"

"Mom, will you help me?"

"I can help you." Logan offered.

"No offense, but that's still a little weird."

"What?! We're married! I've seen every inch of your body on multiple occasions, yet you think it's weird if I help you to the bathroom."

"It IS weird!" Rory told him.

"If it makes you feel better, I won't let Luke near the bathroom while I pee either." said with a grin. "And he's lived with me for years."

"I'm allowed to sleep and shower with her, but not allowed to help her pee." Logan said with a roll of his eyes as Lorelai stood up to help Rory out of the bed. "What's next? Are you going to forbid me from watching you get dressed?"

"Do I need to?" Rory asked.

"Hilarious! Here, let me get you unhooked from the machine."

"Thank you."

"Don't worry Logan, childbirth changes everything. You'll be helping her with a lot more than you ever expected to, very soon."

"You know what else is super weird?" Rory asked.

"What's that?"

"Having my best friend as my OB. It's one thing to have my husband all up in my business, but having Paris is a whole different story."

"Yeah, even I won't go for that one!" Lorelai agreed. "Paris has been trying to get me to switch to her for the last couple years, but there is no way in hell that I ever would."

"See, you're lucky because there is no way in hell that Paris would ever allow me to go anywhere else! She tells me to grow up and deal with it, because it's JUST a vagina, and she's seen a million of them!"

"And that's my cue to excuse myself." Logan chuckled, handing Lorelai a specimen cup. "You two go do your business, and I'm going to step into the hall and call Paris.

"Your face is red." Lorelai chuckled, winking at Logan, then following her daughter into the bathroom. "I think you embarrassed the boy."

"He's fine. Just a little scarred from being a doctor. He's seen some things." Rory told her.

"I probably don't want to know."

"You really don't."

"Has he told you about it?"

"Some of it. There was a girl who was brutally raped last week. Logan took it pretty hard."

"Probably wanted to kill the guy."

"Pretty much. It's hard to keep your cool when it comes to stuff like that. She was pretty young."

"Geez. That's terrifying!"

"There are a lot of down sides to being a doctor."

"I can definitely agree with that. Do you need more help, or can you take it from here?"

"I'm good, thank you Mom."

"No problem. I'll be right outside the door when you're done." Lorelai said as she handed Rory the cup, then left the bathroom.

"Did she kick you out?" Logan asked as he walked back into the room.

"No, I just thought I would give her some privacy."

"Paris is on her way back."

"Were you two bickering earlier?"

"Rory says it's annoying."

"It is!"

"She is incredibly bossy! I tried to start Rory's IV, and I got lectured about whether or now I knew how to do it, even though she is the one who taught me back in medical school, and the fact that I do it every single day. Then, right as I was finally doing it, she stopped me, to have Valerie do it while I looked at the ultrasound with her. I'm not allowed to do my job when Paris is around. She likes to undermine me."

"Sounds about right for Paris."

"She's a great friend, but could definitely ease up a bit."

"Yeah, but she wouldn't be Paris if she did."

"It just sucks to be emasculated in front of my wife. And the other hospital staff."

"Well your wife is used to it, and I'm sure Paris does it to the entire staff, so it's not just you."

"Most of them are completely terrified of her."

"I'm pretty sure that she prefers it that way."

"Who prefers what?" Rory asked as she opened the bathroom door.

"Paris prefers having everyone completely terrified of her." Lorelai answered.

"Oh yeah! Most definitely! Babe, would you like your cup?"

"Just put it on the counter, and I'll have Valerie take it next time she comes in. It looks a little cloudy." Logan told her.

"And he's judging my pee."

"I'm a doctor."

"The man is judging my pee!"

"You're the one who married him." Lorelai told her. "Hey Paris!"

"Hey Lorelai, they'll have Rory's room ready in a few minutes." Paris said as she walked into the room, and went straight to the computer. "Is this fresh urine?"

"Yes it is."

"It looks cloudy."

"See!" Logan said pointing a thumb at Paris.

"I am now glad that I didn't marry a doctor." Lorelai chuckled.

"Come on Ror, let's get you back in bed."

"Rory's WBC is elevated, but otherwise the test results look normal." Logan said as Paris pulled Rory up in the computer.

"Well that urine should tell us something. Flu was negative, which is good news. I'm thinking it's a UTI. Also common in pregnancy, and with kidney stones."

"I had plenty of those with Rory." Lorelai commented.

"Did you have kidney stones too?"

"Oh heck no! That would be the Hayden genes rearing their ugly face. Christopher has had them a few times, and his Dad used to get them too."

"Well at least they got some kind of idea of what it feels like to squeeze a watermelon out through a pea hole."

"I've heard the pain is similar."

"It's supposed to be."

"Well if it feels anything like doing the splits over a crate of dynamite."

"You didn't get drugs?"

"They told me that it was too late."

"That sucks! Rory, I recommend you get the epidural when you go into labor."

"I second that!" Lorelai agreed.

"Me too." Logan spoke up. "I want you comfortable and happy."

"Not that your opinion counts, but I can agree to that." Paris told him.

"See what I mean?" Logan asked, looking toward Lorelai.

"What?" Paris asked.

"Nothing." Lorelai answered. "How much longer until we can move Rory upstairs?"

"They are supposed to send transport when they're ready."

"I need some coffee, I think I'm gonna head down to the cafeteria. Anyone else want anything?"

"I'll go with you. I need to drop this urine by the lab anyway." Paris offered.

"Logan, do you want anything?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm alright, but thank you. Babe, do you want anything?"

"Maybe some juice." Rory answered.

"We'll be back." Lorelai said reaching for her purse and heading for the door.

"Logan, make sure Rory gets hooked back up to the monitors."

"I'm already taking care of it. This isn't my first rodeo Paris."

"She's my patient Logan. Don't cross me!"

"And she's my wife. I think I know what is best for her."

"Oh you do, do you?" Paris asked stopping in the doorway as she was following Lorelai out, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Paris, I'm not going to argue with you. I can have Rory transferred to another hospital. I'm her husband, and a doctor. I know what I'm doing. Please stop telling me how to do my job."

"Alright you two, break it up." Lorelai said turning around and reaching for Paris' arm. "Don't make me put you in the naughty chair."

"Logan." Rory said reaching for her husband's arm as he started daggers at Paris. "Babe, let it go. Please."

"Come on Paris." Lorelai said tugging Paris out of the room.

"I really hate her sometimes." Logan said once they were gone and the door was closed.

"Mom will handle her. I promise. And I'll talk to her when I get out of here." Rory said pulling on Logan to turn him to face her.

"I know she's your best friend, but some days I really wonder why you tolerate her. We can take you to another doctor. We don't have to put up Paris. You deserve better than that. I deserve better than that!"

"Logan . . ."

"I'm having another doctor take over today."

"You really think Paris will allow that?"

"Oh she'll throw a massive bitch fit and probably go to HR."

"She won't go to HR, she'll just torment us for the rest of our lives. Doyle is one of our employees. We need him. Do you REALLY want to open that can of worms?"

"I'm considering it."

"Logan . . ."

"I don't appreciate being emasculated by her."

"I know you don't. I'm sorry she's being a pain."

"You know that the only reason I tolerate her crap, is because of you, right?

"I thought she was good to you in medical school?"

"She was tolerable. Probably because she was a couple semesters ahead of me and got to help train everyone."

"She's been decent to you since then, right?"

"As long as I don't have to work with her."

"Well I guess it's a good thing that you work in completely different areas of the hospital then."

"I only had Doyle call her to meet us here because as your OB she would have to be notified anyway. But I would much rather have another Doctor taking care of you. At least anyone else would let me do my job and just run everything by them. It would be so much easier! That was actually my plan all along until Paris decided to be the one to register you, and took full charge. Even if I asked another doctor to take over at this point, they would turn you back over to Paris because you're pregnant."

"I'm sorry Honey."

"We need to move! Far away. Far enough that Paris won't be able to be your doctor anymore."

"You know that we would have to go overseas for that."

"And even that may not be far enough."

"I am so sorry Logan. I feel really bad. You were really looking forward to going to that party tomorrow, and I just had to go and get sick."

"It's fine. I'm happy to stay home with you."

"You should go. My mom is here. She can stay with me, and you can go hang out with the guys."

"Absolutely not! I'm not leaving my wife alone on New Year's Eve."

"Logan . . ." Rory sighed, sitting back down on the bed. "I won't be alone. My mom is here."

"No."

"You should go. Make an appearance for the company."

"No."

"Logan, someone from your family should be there. You said so yourself."

"I'll send Honor. I would offer to send Doyle, but he's married to Paris, and the guys would kill me."

"Logan, don't be ridiculous."

"I'm staying home with you tomorrow. We're having a Gilmore movie night with your Mom."

"Fine. But I would be ok with you going to the party for a while."

"We'll go next year. Let's get you hooked back up so Paris doesn't eat me alive when she gets back."

"I'm sure my Mom is talking to her about being nicer to you, right now. You know Mom doesn't tolerate that behavior."

**~ * ~ * ~ * 11:30pm the next night * ~ * ~ * ~ ***

"What the hell is going on!?" Lorelai asked as the doorbell suddenly started obsessively ringing, followed by loud banging. "Should we call 9-1-1? This is a gated community."

"I bet you anything it's Collin and Finn." Logan laughed, getting up from the couch.

"Maybe if we ignore them, they'll go away?"

"You obviously don't know them very well." Rory commented as Logan headed for the door as it suddenly burst open, and a drunk Collin and Finn stumbled inside.

"I am so sorry you guys! I tried to stop them!" Honor's voice was head, calling over the ruckus.

"You guys missed the party, so we brought the party to you!" another voice called out.

"You brought the drunks and everything!" Logan laughed seeing all of his friends walking in the door carrying food and drinks.

"I'm so sorry Logan, I would have called, but Josh has my phone, and I was trying to help babysit Finn. I hope you guys weren't sleeping." Honor said giving her brother a quick hug.

"It's fine, we were just watching a movie. Hey Stephanie. Robert, long time, no see!"

"Hey Logan. You remember Kimber?"

"I do. How are you Kimber?"

"I'm very well, thank you. You have a beautiful house!" Robert's date smiled.

"Thank you! Come on in. Rory is in the living room with Lorelai."

"Lorelai is here?!" Finn asked excitedly. "Is she willing to marry me yet?"

"Lorelai is already married, you Goof!" Stephanie said, slugging Finn as she passed him heading to the living room. "Rory! How are you feeling? Honor tells us you were just released from the hospital. Are you doing ok?" she asked, plopping down on the couch next to Rory."

"I'm ok. You look gorgeous!" Rory told her.

"Well thank you! Hey Lorelai! I haven't seen you in months!"

"Hey Stephanie, your dress is beautiful."

"Thank you so much! How are you?"

"I'm doing very well. How are you guys?"

"We are doing great! We couldn't stand the thought of Logan and Rory being alone on New Year's, so we decided to bring the party to them."

"I see that. Wow, you sure brought a lot with you!"

"We raided the bar and buffett." Collin said setting a tray of food down on the coffee table.

"Where's Josh?" Rory asked.

"He's parking the car in the garage, checking on Dad, and sending the nurse home. He'll be over in a few minutes."

"Is Dad in bed?" Logan asked.

"I don't know. He should be. He usually goes to bed by 10:30."

"How was the party?" Lorelai asked.

"It was good." Robert said carrying a couple bar stools into the living room. "Too many parentals though."

"It does suck to party with your parents." Collin agreed. "We are all adults now, why do we still have to go to the same party as our parents?"

"Please, it's not like they'll even notice that we're gone." Rosemarie said as she joined the group. "Hey Rory! You look nice and comfy!"

"Rosemary! Hi! Wow, I haven't seen you in years! You look amazing!" Rory said as her friend leaned over to hug her.

"I know, right?! The boys told me the two of you go back together, and finally got married. It's about time! I'm not even upset that I wasn't invited. I am so happy for you!"

"Don't feel bad, I wasn't invited either." Lorelai told her.

"Rosemary, this is my mom, Lorelai. Mom, this is our friend Rosemary. We went to Yale together."

"Is that Rory?!" Another voice asked. Rory turned her head toward to kitchen to see Juliette walking into the room with a few more people.

"Oh my gosh! Wow, it's like a full college reunion! Hey guys!" Rory smiled.

"Hey Everyone, this is Rory's mother, Lorelai." Logan said holding his arm out toward where Lorelai was lounging on the sofa on the other side of the room from Rory. "Lorelai, you know Collin, Finn and Stephanie."

"I do. Hey guys!" Lorelai greeted them.

"And these are our other friends Juliette, Rosemary, Robert, Kimber, Olivia, and Lucy."

"Rory, your house is amazing!" Lucy said walking over to the couch to hug her friend.

"Lucy! Olivia! I can't believe you guys are here!" Rory told them.

"We ran into Finn at a club last week and he invited us to this great New Year's Eve party under the guise that you would be there, but then you didn't show up, and Logan's sister told everyone that you were home sick with kidney stones or something."

"Kidney stones, severe morning sickness and uti." Rory confirmed.

"Morning sickness? Wait, you're pregnant!?" Olivia asked.

"Just a little bit."

"Oh my gosh! Rory! Congratulations!" Lucy cheered, hugging her friend again.

"Holy crap, we had no idea!" Juliette told her.

"Sorry guys, we've been keeping it a little quiet outside of family." Logan said coming back into the room and rejoining Rory on the couch. "Tonight would have been our first real public outing had Rory not ended up so sick yesterday."

"Rory, how far along are you?" Rosemary asked.

"I'm 15 weeks. Getting close to halfway." Rory answered.

"Do you know what you are having yet?"

"We're having a little girl. Lorelai Ayribella."

"That is such a beautiful name! I bet she is going to look exactly like you!" Juliette told her.

"I hope so." Logan smiled.

"Congratulations you guys!"

"And I'm not the only one who is pregnant right now. Logan's sister Honor is having a little boy a few weeks after me." Rory told them.

"That is so sweet! Honor, have you picked a name yet?" Stephanie asked.

"Maxwell Logan Rothschild." Honor answered, taking a seat next to Lorelai.

"That is so sweet, naming your baby after your little brother! I love that so much!" Juliette told them.

"Hey, what's going on?" a very groggy Luke asked, joining everyone in the living room. "I didn't know that you were having a party."

"Neither did we." Logan told him.

"Everyone, this is my Dad, Luke. Dad, this is the gang. Apparently they bailed on the party they were all at, and decided to come invade our house." Rory explained.

"Invade? We did not invade! You missed the party, so we brought the party to you!" Collin corrected her.

"Hey Luke! You look tired." Josh said walking into the room behind Luke.

"Hey Josh. I just woke up to a bunch of noise. I heard pounding on the door and a bunch of loud voices. I came to see if we were being attacked or something."

"I'm sorry Honey. We had no idea." Loreali said holding out a hand for her husband. "I'm so sorry they woke you."

"No, it's fine." Luke yawned, walking over to join Lorelai and Honor.

"How's Dad doing?" Honor asked as Josh sat on the arm of the couch next to her.

"He's sound asleep. Heather said he went to bed right after we left."

"Did you bring the monitor?"

"It's right here." Josh said pointing to the radio clipped to his belt.

"Wait, you have a baby monitor for your Dad?" Lorelai asked."

"We don't use it unless we're over here at night. We just don't want him to wake up in the middle of the night with us hanging out over hear, and have something happen with us not able to hear it." Honor explained. "He's got the heart monitor and oxygen on. Both of those send alarms to our phones if something happens, but we added the monitor just in case he falls or something. Logan thought it was a good idea."

"Did you guys get a chance to talk to Shira's doctors this week?"

"Logan talked to them yesterday. He didn't tell you?"

"Logan, you have news?"

"Her therapist said its perfectly normal, and that she's always that pleasant."

"Did you die laughing?"

"Just about." Logan laughed. "I'm not sure the therapist appreciated it."

"He spit his coffee out when she said it." Rory commented.

"Wow! That's crazy!"

"Family weekend is coming up, so we'll see how that goes. I tried to explain Mom's permanent ice queen snide attitude to her therapist, but the woman didn't believe me. She said that Mom has been nothing but pleasant."

"Which is completely insane!" Honor told them.

"So how do you think family weekend will go?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, it could definitely be pretty interesting. We can see it going a few different ways. Either A: Mom completely flips and turns back into the woman we all know, and completely shocks her therapist with her acting talents, B: Mom tries to act all sweet and pleasant and then completely flips her lid and goes right back to normal in front of her therapist, or C: Mom somehow manages to remain pleasant the entire time, which none of us see happening."

"How do you guys think it will go?"

"It's hard to say." Logan told her. "Mom can be pretty unpredictable sometimes."


	49. Chapter 49

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined Day # I don't even know anymore ~~~

What day is it today? Is it Thursday, Friday, or Saturday? I honestly keep forgetting.

This chapter was pretty fun to write. I was cracking up when I started it. It ended up going differently than I originally thought it would, but I think it turned out ok. Let me know what you guys think.

* * *

"Mrs. Huntzberger, I have your Husband and children here to see you." an aide said as she escorted the Huntzberger family into Shira's suite at her rehab center.

"Hello hello!" Shira greeted, kissing Mitchum on the cheek, and hugging him with one arm, then moving to Honor. "Honor, Honey! Look how cute you look! Look at that belly!" she said excitedly, hugging her daughter, then reaching to rub her stomach. "Hi Maxwell! I'm your Grandma! I can't wait to meet you Sweetie!"

"For real?" Rory mouthed, looking to Logan, who just smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"Joshua! Hello Honey! You look great! Are you excited to be a Daddy?"

"Hi Shira. I am excited, yes." Josh said as Shira gave him a one armed hug.

"Rory! Sweetheart! Look how great you look! Oh honey, pregnancy definitely agrees with you!" Shira said pulling Rory into a hug, then holding her at arm's length to look her over. "Sweetie, how far along are you now?"

"19 weeks." Rory answered.

"Almost halfway! That is so exciting! Can I feel the baby?"

"Uh, sure." Rory said as Logan gave her an amused smirk.

"Hi sweet girl! Grandma is so excited to meet you! I bet you are such a beautiful little girl! We are going to have so much fun together, you and I!" Rory bit her tongue to keep from laughing, while looking at Logan, Honor, and Josh who all shared the same amused, yet frightened look.

"What the hell?!" Honor mouthed from behind Shira.

"Logan! My sweet little boy! I am so happy to see you Honey!" Shira said excitedly hugging her son next.

"Sorry, allergies." Rory said, suddenly rubbing her nose, and covering her mouth with her hand, trying to cover up the laugh that started to slip out.

"Honey, you look so happy! Are you ready to be a daddy?"

"I am Mom." Logan smiled as he reached for Rory's hand. "How are you doing? Are you doing ok?"

"I am doing wonderful! Thank you so much for asking Sweetie. I am so happy to have you all here! How was your flight? I hope it wasn't too bad."

"It was good Mom. We took the jet." Honor told her.

"Mitchum, Dear, how are you? How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing well Shira." Mitchum answered. "You look nice today."

"Thank you Dear! It is so nice to see you all! Come come, sit sit." Shira said holding her arms out and gesturing to the couches in her sitting room. "Would anyone like something to eat or drink?"

"I'll take a bottle of water if you have some." Honor said as she took a seat on one of the couches, with her husband.

"I cannot get over how amazing you girls both look!" Shira gushed as an aide brought her a bottle of water for Honor. "I never looked as great as either of you while I was pregnant. You two are just absolutely radiant!"

"No laughing." Logan whispered, reaching his arm around his wife and pressing a kiss to the side of her head, trying to cover up his own laughter as they both took their seats on the couch opposite Honor and Josh who were both smiling and biting their tongues to keep from laughing.

"Mom, you look wonderful! California definitely agrees with you." Honor said, trying to change the subject. "How is everything going for you out here?"

"Oh, it is all just wonderful! Every morning I wake up at 7, do some yoga, eat a delicious breakfast, then I go for a walk with Marissa, have a couple counseling sessions, eat a scrumptious lunch, then do another session, play some tennis, go for a swim in the heated pool, have dinner, then it's one more session before bed. It's been so wonderful! It is so beautiful out here! Did you see the gorgeous flowers outside?"

"You're doing yoga?"

"I am! It is the perfect way to wake up every morning. It's very peaceful. Very calming."

"I've heard that about Yoga. It's supposed to center you for the day," Logan commented.

"So you like it here then?" Mitchum asked as he took a seat in a chair to the side of Honor.

"I really didn't think that I would, but the view outside is just incredible, and it's so relaxing. I see why Logan enjoyed living out here. Was the view from your apartment as amazing as it is here?"

"Not at all." Logan answered. "You've definitely got me beat."

"Really? I thought for sure you had an incredible view from your apartment."

"I lived in downtown Palo Alto. I was in the middle of the city. My view was a bunch of buildings."

"Oh no! I'm so sorry Honey! I didn't know that."

"That's ok." Logan told her. "I'm glad you like it here. Maybe you and Dad should retire out here. We can find you a place just as great nearby. You can do yoga, swim and play tennis every day."

"No no no sweetheart! We couldn't do that. We don't want to be so far away from our grand babies. We would never see you."

"Really Mom, it wouldn't be any different than it's ever been. We would still see you just as much as we always have."

"Oh no Honey, that won't work at all. We need to be nearby. I was thinking that we can find a place in the city. Doesn't the company still have those apartments for when people come to town from other offices? Maybe your father and I can take over one of those? We can keep the house in Hartford, and just split our time between the two homes."

"Rory and I will have to talk about that. There are a lot of changes that have been made with the company since Rory took over."

"Rory, how is that all going for you? I do hope it isn't too much for you. Hopefully Mitchum can go back soon so you can take time off to be with the baby."

"Things are going very well." Rory told her.

"Dad won't be going back any time soon." Logan spoke up. "Dad still has a long way to go in his recovery. His team won't even be considering allowing him to go back to work anytime soon."

"Logan, you are such a great doctor Sweetie. Always so concerned with our well-being, and quick to take care of your family." Shira told him. "We are all so proud of you, aren't we Mitchum?!"

"Yes Dear, we are." Mitchum agreed with a smile.

"Joshua, how is work going for you Dear?"

"It is going wonderful." Josh answered politely. "Busy as always."

"That is so good to hear Honey. Honor, what have you been doing lately?"

"I've mostly been helping out with Dad, and helping Rory when I have time."

"You are such an amazing daughter. You've always been my favorite helper."

"Sorry, something in my throat." Logan mumbled, faking a cough to cover the laugh slipping from his mouth.

"I'm sorry Honey, do you need me to go get you a lozenge from my purse?" Rory asked.

"That's ok, I'll be fine." Logan said shooting her a look.

"I am so sorry." Rory said as her phone vibrated next to her. "Work never stops." She unlocked it and looked over the message that had just come in, then opened a new message and quickly typed out _'Is this some kind of joke?!'_ nudging her husband, and pointing to the screen. Logan just smiled and nodded his head. "I'm sorry Shira, please excuse the interruption. My assistant is trying to finish up a project and needed my approval."

"You seem to be doing very well running HPG. It's not too stressful for you?"

"No, not at all. I have an amazing assistant, and a great team to help him out. We are always busy, but things are going very well."

"Rory is doing an amazing job!" Honor spoke up. "Everyone loves having her there. Profits are up, the employees are very happy, Rory is making a lot of positive changes. She was the perfect person to take over for Dad. Way better than Logan would have been!"

"Logan was raised to run the company though. It's in his blood. Maybe someday he can take over so Rory can have more time with the family." Shira commented.

"And here we go . . ." Logan mumbled under his breath, so only Rory could hear.

"Mom, I don't think this is a conversation that we should even be having. Especially not here. Not right now." Honor spoke up. "Logan is a doctor, and has zero interest in running the company. You said yourself that you are proud of him, so let's just leave it alone, alright?"

"Hello everyone! Good morning!" a woman said as she walked into the room.

"Hello Gayle!" Shira smiled seeing her therapist.

"Shira, is this your family?"

"It is."

"Hi everyone, I'm Doctor Simon, but you can just call me Gayle. Which one of you is Doctor Huntzberger?"

"That would be me." Logan spoke up.

"Hi Doctor Huntzberger, it is lovely to finally meet you. Here is the paperwork you requested when we talked on the phone last week."

"Oh, excellent! Thank you!" Logan said taking a file folder Gayle held out to him.

"If you still want to have that sit down you mentioned, we can definitely do that while you are here."

"Yes, please."

"Alright, we can figure out a time when we are finished today. Why don't we get started. I'll just take a seat right here next to Shira, if that is ok with everybody."

"That is perfect." Shira grinned.

"So Shira, why don't you introduce me to your beautiful family."

"Very well. This is my lovely daughter Honor." Shira said holding her arm out toward where Honor was sitting. "And her husband Joshua."

"Hi Gayle, it is nice to meet you." Honor smiled.

"It is so great to meet you both." Gayle told them. "Shira, tell me about Honor and Joshua."

"Well, Honor is our oldest. She has been married for several years now, and lately she has been a wonderful help taking care of the family, and helping her father recover from the two heart attacks he had, as well as helping out with the family business."

"And Joshua?"

"Joshua is an accountant, and works with his family."

"That is wonderful! And this must be your husband who I have heard so much about." Gayle said motioning to Mitchum."

"It is, this is Mitchum."

"You said he is recovering from a heart attack?"

"Two of them. One right after the other."

"Oh my! I do hope you are feeling better Mitchum. That must have been very scary."

"Terrifying!" Shira answered. "He's had to take some time off work, to recover. Honor is taking great care of him."

"It is so great to have family who is able to be there to help out when needed." Gayle smiled. "Who do we have next?"

"Logan, he is our youngest. Logan is a doctor."

"Logan, where did you go to school?"

"I got my BA from Yale, and my Phd and MD from Columbia." Logan answered.

"Wow! Double major! That is impressive."

"Triple actually. Well, quadruple if you count Yale."

"Really?"

"I have my bachelor's degree in Journalism, PhD in Immunology and Genetics, and an MD in Internal Medicine."

"That is quite the work load!"

"It really was." Logan agreed.

"Shira, you must be incredibly proud of your son! A triple major is an amazing feat! Most students don't even double major, let alone triple."

"And he graduated with honors!" Honor added.

"Wow! Really?! Congratulations Doctor Huntzberger! You have me beat for sure!"

"Why thank you!" Logan told her.

"And who is this next to Doctor Huntzberger?" Gayle asked.

"That would be Logan's lovely wife, Rory. She has stepped in for Mitchum as the temporary CEO of our family company. And that adorable little bump there is my Granddaughter Lorelai Ayribella."

"Congratulations! Grandchildren are such a blessing!"

"They are. And we are getting two of them! Honor is also pregnant with Maxwell Logan. Due just after Rory."

"Double the fun! Shira, tell me about your family company."

"Well, Mitchum and his Father started the Huntzberger Publishing Group when Mitchum was just a little boy. Elias ran the company for years until he retired, and Mitchum took over at the age of 30, and he has run it ever since."

"But now Rory is running things?"

"Yes, just while Mitchum recovers."

"Rory is the current CEO." Logan spoke up. "Dad won't be going back any time soon. We all need to remember that we are focusing on what is best for Dad, and his continued health and recovery. There is absolutely no need for him to try to rush anything. Rory is doing an amazing job running the company. Like Honor said earlier, she's a better CEO than I ever could be."

"Rory, what does the Huntzberger Publishing Group do?" Gayle asked.

"Well, we are a major publishing house with our headquarters in Manhattan, and several satellite offices throughout the country, with another 5 overseas. We publish a large number of newspapers, both print and online, and we are spreading out into books and magazines this year."

"Wow! That is excellent! How many newspapers do you publish?"

"When I stepped in as CEO in October, we owned 327 newspapers throughout the United States and 100 overseas, with plans to expand to a total of 500 over the next year. Currently, we are up to 350 papers, and we are working on acquiring our first book and magazine, so we have a lot to do this year."

"That is very impressive! You definitely have your work cut out for you, don't you? I can't imagine doing all of that and having a baby at the same time."

"Rory is quite the overachiever." Shira chirped.

"We are very proud of her." Logan smiled, hugging his wife to him, and placing a kiss on the top of her head. "You'll have to excuse her if her phone rings and she needs to step out. Rory is in the middle of a big project and took time off to be here with us."

"Oh yes, for sure."

"I am so sorry, I'll just apologize now." Rory spoke up.

"No no, Sweetie, it's ok!" Shira told her. "I've lived that life for the last 30 years. I completely understand! Mitchum was rarely home before 10pm, and always on the phone. It's the price your family has to pay for having such an important job."

"Yeah, but Rory isn't like that. She is always home by 6, if not earlier. She's made a lot of changes in the company. She is doing an amazing job!" Honor told everyone."

"Ok then!" Gayle said cheerfully. "I am so glad you could all make it here this weekend. I am sure that you all know about what we do here at the Betty Ford Clinic. We are a nationally recognized treatment clinic, founded by former first lady, Betty Ford, with 17 locations throughout the country, and our main focus is the whole body well-being and recovery from drug and alcohol addictions. I work with Shira every other day, and she is doing very well in the program Doctor Huntzberger requested. We have talked a lot about your family, and Shira's goals for total recovery, and I think that we are on a great path right now. Why don't we start by talking about what concerns you all have had about your wife and mother, and what goals and outcomes you would like to see her achieve while she is here."

"Mom has always been one of those people who doesn't deal with stress very well." Honor spoke up. "She is kind of a people pleaser, and tries to be the type of person that she thinks other people expect her to be, even if that is not at all who she is."

"What do you mean?" Gayle asked.

"Well, to be quite frank, Mom kind of fakes it in a lot of areas. She is a completely different person depending on who is around her. She'll be one way if it's just us kids, another if Dad is around, completely different whenever Grandpa happened to be there, and then another different person in societal situations."

"Can you elaborate for me?"

"Just a moment ago, when mom was introducing all of us. She seemed very pleasant and upbeat, but then when it came to Rory and Logan, she started to slip back into her societal personality, where she expected things to be a certain way. More stepfordish."

"Meaning?"

"In a lot of upper class families the role of the wife is to be the care taker of the husband. The husband gets to work at a high powered job while the wife stays home taking care of the children, and going to different charity, school, and children's sporting events. Mom tends to forget that it's ok to not be that Stepford wife and mother. It's ok that Rory likes to work, and that she is Logan's equal. It is perfectly ok that she has a high powered, high profile job that keeps her insanely busy. Rory wasn't raised with nannies, and fancy events the way Logan and I were. Rory was raised by a single mom, who owns her own business, and she's always had lofty goals for herself. Rory doesn't want or need a man to take care of her the way a lot of upper class women do. Rory is perfectly capable to taking care of herself, and in the societal circles our family is often surrounded by, that is frowned upon. A lot of the time, mom forgets that Rory and Logan are doing things differently, and they don't give a damn what society thinks, and that is perfectly ok. Logan doesn't need the perfect submissive Stepford wife with the pearl necklace who lives to cater to him and their children. This isn't 1940, and it is perfectly acceptable for women to be an equal partner in their marriage. Rory and Logan didn't marry out of obligation, or for money the way that a lot of societal families do, and Mom has a hard time accepting that, and putting aside the ridiculous societal expectations that crazy people seem to think we should be following. Mom will be a little more nurturing and motherly to us, more Stepford to Dad, and then definitely a societal ice queen to grandpa and other people. She puts aside who she is to be who she thinks other people expect her to be. Sometimes I honestly wonder if Mom even knows who she truly is as a person, outside of being a society wife."

"What do you think Doctor Huntzberger?" Gayle asked.

"I completely agree with my sister. I think she put it perfectly. Mom acts differently depending on who is around her. One specific example that comes to mind was our video call on Christmas. All of us were there, as well as Rory's grandparents. Mom has always been the societal ice queen when it comes to me and what is expected of me. Growing up, it was always expected of me to follow in my father's exact footsteps, just as he followed his father before him. I am Mitchum's apprentice, and someday it was expected that I would take over HPG. But as I grew up with that expectation, I came to despise it more and more. But it never mattered what I wanted. All that ever mattered to my parents was what society expected. Marry the perfect Stepford wife, have the perfect two children to raise in my shadow, and take over the family company. That has never been the life that I wanted, and my parents never understood that."

"But you became a doctor. That is still a very noble profession."

"Please, tell them that! They didn't even come to my graduation."

"Mom and Dad never supported Logan's aspirations." Honor explained. "The way we were raised was very societal. I think Mom tried to be a little bit different because she definitely wasn't raised that way, but with the Huntzberger family expectations, mom was expected to follow the Stepford plan. Logan always hated all the expectations. I never got it as harsh as he did, because I'm a girl, and most of the expectations for girls involve being a quiet submissive wife. But Logan was expected to be just like Dad and Grandpa, and he's never been that person. He's been rebelling, trying to be his own person, his entire life. And then he met Rory, who is just absolutely wonderful, and a perfect match for him, and that was the beginning of the end for our parents. Rory brings out the best in Logan, but they refuse to see that, because Rory doesn't want or expect Logan to follow those stupid outdated societal roles. Rory has always encouraged Logan to be who he is, and to do what makes him happy. Logan tried to follow our parents' plan, and be like Dad, but he crashed and burned, very dramatically if I do say so myself. But it was always expected of Logan to just fall in line, and when he refused to do that, and told Mom and Dad to piss off, and that he was done with all the ridiculous expectations, and that he was going to live his own life, the way he wanted, they completely cut him off. Logan went to medical school because he wanted to, and Josh and I paid for it because we refused to allow him to go into debt with student loans when Mom and Dad refused to help pay for it. Logan is a doctor because that is what he wanted to be, and Josh and I helped him get there. We gave him a place to live, we fed him, and I stayed up with him night after night while he studied. Mom and Dad act like they're proud of Logan for an audience. But in all honesty, they're faking it. The only people in this family who are actually truly proud of Logan, are Rory, Josh and I."

"Oh Honor, don't be ridiculous. You are so dramatic! We never put that kind of pressure on Logan." Shira spoke up, trying to defend herself.

"Oh really?! Ok Mom, why don't you tell us what your whole plan for Logan was." Honor told her.

"While it was expected that Logan follow in his father's footsteps, we never forced anything on him."

"A year in London Mom. Remember that?" Logan spoke up.

"I don't remember that at all." Shira told him.

"Of course you don't." Logan said rolling his eyes.

"Right after Logan graduated from Yale, he was forced to move to London to work in the HPG office there." Honor explained. "He left when? A couple days after graduating?"

"The very next day." Rory spoke up. "6:00 in the morning, he left to get on a plane. And he was gone for months."

"Logan was gone for almost a year, only getting to come home to visit if he happened to have business back in New York. And we suspect part of the reason that Mom and Dad sent him there, was to get him away from Rory, because in their minds, Rory was never 'good enough' for him. He was supposed to marry some snooty Stepford wife."

"That Fallon girl." Logan commented, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, that Fallon girl, who mom absolutely loved. The perfect pearl wearing Stepford wife who has hired surrogates to carry her babies because heaven forbid she should ever gain a single ounce of weight."

"Damn, I knew I should have done that!" Rory joked as she rubbed her stomach.

"Right?!" Honor laughed. "We wouldn't have stretch marks, or be getting huge had we been smart enough to hire a surrogate."

"Next time!"

"Yes! For sure!"

"Mom and Dad never approved of Rory." Logan explained. "Rory was raised differently that we were. Her mother comes from a high society family, but Lorelai broke away at 16 when she had Rory, and she raised Rory differently, on her own, away from her family and all of their money. Rory never had the nannies, or fancy schools and parties that Honor and I had growing up, and because of it, Mom and Dad see her as being too different, and more 'trashy'. But the reality of all of it is that Rory is actually much better than all of us! She knows more than us, and is way more well-rounded than all of us combined. Rory is very aware of the reality of money, and wasn't raised in a family where they threw money at stuff to fix it. She actually fixes things herself, rather than throwing a wad of cash at it. And that right there, is actually what makes her the perfect CEO for the family business. Rory knows how to run things and speak to people like they are human, and doesn't treat others like servants, or like they are a faceless number. Our employees actually matter to her. She knows everybody's name, and most of the people in the office she knows their family situation, and she treats them all like they are her friends. Rory actually cares about everyone around her, and goes out of her way to help them out. Rory is a completely different CEO than Dad and Grandpa were. She does not just do the CEO job, but she is also doing a lot of the editing, and writing several articles a week for our papers, as well as reading the book submissions, putting together transition teams for the new papers we acquire. She is traveling to meet with different papers, putting together their financial plans for the new year, and helping them budget. When Dad was the CEO, he had just his secretary to help him. Rory has a secretary, me, and two assistants. And then, every department has a team captain for each project they work on, who reports directly to her. Dad and Grandpa never had any of that. Like Mom said, it was rare for Dad to get home before 10pm. Rory is rarely home after 6. She actually works from home about half the time, because it's quieter there, and she is able to get more done. Both of her assistants have a key to our house, and come over to bring her files, and to help when needed. Or to bring her a meal, to make sure that she's eating while I'm at work. But in the societal circles that our family has always associated with, none of that is ok. Rory is expected to be that perfect pearl wearing Stepford wife, and our parents have a really hard time understanding why I don't want that, and why I refuse to be Dad's shadow."

"Now Mitchum, you've been awfully quiet. What do you think about all of this?" Gayle asked.

"It's what is expected of our family, and I think that Logan has completely thrown everything he was raised to be, in the trash can, and stomped all over his obligations, and our family name."

"Ouch!" Honor mumbled to Josh, while shooting her brother an understanding look.

"Alright . . . Mitchum, Shira, why don't you tell me a little about how you thought things should be for your family."

"Our family has certain expectations and obligations that we need to uphold." Shira started. "Logan was supposed to follow in his father's footsteps. Taking over HPG is his destiny."

"Logan was raised in the family business. He has been going to shareholder meetings since he was ten years old." Mitchum spoke up.

"That is awfully young." Gayle commented.

"I was going at age five. It is what you do in our family. You follow in your father's footsteps. I helped print papers, I delivered them, and earned $5 a day as a young boy. Logan didn't even have to do that. He got to be a child. But it was expected that when he was old enough, he was attend shareholder meetings, and that he would take an interest in the family business so that he could take over and run it when it was my turn to retire. But then I had a heart attack, and he handed the company to his girlfriend."

"When did you have the first heart attack?"

"The end of September."

"She's my wife." Logan said sternly.

"Logan, when did you get married?" Gayle asked politely.

"October 8th. And in case you've been told any different, Rory had nothing to do with Dad's heart attack. Mom and Dad had no idea that we were even together until the heart attack was already happening. Rory and I had broken up after college, and hadn't seen each other for years until we ran into each other and got back together in September. Dad's heart attack had absolutely nothing to do with Rory. He had a major blockage in an artery, and had been having problems for years, which he hid from all of us, and I only found out about after requesting his past medical records when he happened to have the heart attack at my hospital."

"I see . . . Shira, your daughter mentioned that you were raised differently than your children. Can you elaborate on that?"

"I was raised on a farm, in Oklahoma." Shira said softly.

"You were?"

"I moved to Connecticut when I was 18."

"Mom met Dad at a bar in New York when she was 17, got pregnant with me, Grandpa forced them to get married, so Mom moved in with Dad, and as soon as she turned 18 a few weeks later, they got married." Honor explained. "That is literally as much as we know about Mom's past. It's one of those things that no one in the family speaks about. We were never allowed to ask as children."

"Shira, can you tell me about how you were raised?" Gayle asked.

"Well, my Momma was mostly a homemaker. She liked to bake, garden, and sew. And my Daddy was a farmer. He was always busy in the fields and with the animals."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"I have 6 brothers and two sisters."

"You do?!" Logan asked in a shocked voice.

"Where do you fall in with your siblings?"

"Right in the middle, after Jameson Bradley."

"Where does your family live?"

"As far as I know, they're still in Oklahoma. I haven't talked to them in years."

"When is the last time you saw or spoke to them?"

"I haven't seen my parents since I left home at 17. They sent letters a couple of times, but it's been years."

"Why did you lose contact?"

"It's just what you did when you marry in to a family like the Huntzbergers. You get so busy raising your children and taking care of your husband, and all of our other family obligations, that you just don't have the time for anything else. Plus, they always thought that they deserved some of our money, and expected us to hand it to them whenever they thought they needed it, and Elias just wasn't having any of that nonsense."

"Who is Elias?"

"That would be Dad's father." Honor answered. "Grandpa ran a tight ship. You either fell in line, or suffered his wrath."

"So you got married, and never talked to your family again? That must have been very hard for you. Were you all close?"

"We were growing up. We went to church every Sunday, worked on the farm with Momma and Daddy, went to school, and did our chores. We spent a lot of time together."

"So why did you leave?"

"I was pregnant, and it was the right thing to do."

"So you became a Huntzberger and never saw your family that you were so close to, ever again?"

"I didn't have time. I had a lot going on."

"In thirty something years, you didn't have time to ever call your family?"

"Well, if I called, they asked for things."

"What kind of things?"

"Usually money. They knew that Mitchum's family was well to do, and they figured since I married into them, and I came from nothing, I owed it to my family to help out."

"And did you?"

"Once or twice. But they always wanted more. Nothing we did was ever enough."

"They always asked for more and more." Mitchum said, breaking his silence. "Dad would buy them a tractor, send money for groceries, and to help keep the farm going. No matter how much we gave, they always wanted more. So we cut them off. People like that have a way of taking and taking, always feeling as if those of us who are more well to do, owe them the world. They refuse to take care of themselves, and instead insist on mooching off of those of us who have worked hard for our money. It wasn't right. We helped a lot, but it got to be too much, so they were cut off. It took several years, but we haven't heard from them since."

"So let me see if I understand this correctly . . . Your family felt that those who didn't come from families such as the Huntzbergers, don't work as hard for their money, and therefore feel entitled to help from others?" Gayle asked.

"Well, yes." Shira answered.

"Alright . . . So is that how you feel about Rory marrying your son? Because Rory was raised similar to the way you were, Shira, it automatically meant that she was after your family's money?"

"Well, isn't she?"

"Wow! Ok, I'm done! I can't do this." Logan said standing up, and reaching for his wife's hand to help her stand from her seat on the couch. "It's time for us to go."

"Logan, where do you think you are going?!" Mitchum asked, raising his voice.

"Away from the people calling my wife a gold digger. After everything that Rory has done for this family, this is the way you treat her . . . I'm done with you! Rory deserves better than this!" Logan told him, then stormed out of the room.


	50. Chapter 50

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

What day is it today?

I am literally dying to know what you guys think of this chapter. It took a completely unexpected turn that I never expected, and I can't wait to hear what you all think! Please drop me a line. :-)

* * *

"So what's the plan?" Rory asked as she followed Logan into their hotel room.

"We're leaving." Logan answered angerly.

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be? I'm not going to stay here, and allow those vultures to treat you like trash!"

"Logan, how is this any different than the way they've always treated me? We expected this, didn't we?"

"How are you so calm right now?! Did you hear what they said?!"

"Oh, I heard it! Trust me, I heard it, and it's nothing that they haven't said several times before. You parents and grandfather have always thought that I was a gold digging wench. But it's amusing to know that one of the reasons they've always treated me so badly, is because of your mother's family. It sounds to me like your mom didn't have much growing up, and managed to marry rich because she got pregnant. But you know what the big difference between your mom and I is?"

"That you aren't the gold digging witch that she is?!"

"I didn't come from a poor family. I came from a rich family, but was raised without the money because that's what my mother chose for me. We could have had money handed to us at any time. My mom was brought up with plenty of money. She had everything handed to her, just like you did. And look how you feel about it."

"I've never been like her."

"Do you want to try that statement again?"

"I am nothing like them!"

"But you were . . . When we first met, you were that person. You used to speak to people like they were beneath you. Just like your parents."

"I was never that bad."

"Are you sure about that? Because I distinctly remember calling you Judy Dench, and explaining to you that just because somebody doesn't have money, or a fancy family, it doesn't mean that they are inferior to you. Some people have to work, you, me, my mom, my family. Your mom lucked out, and married into money. But you heard your Dad earlier, he actually had to work growing up, while he helped Elias build the company from the ground up. He didn't have things handed to him the way he does now."

"But that still doesn't excuse the way they've treated you!"

"No, you're absolutely right, it doesn't excuse them at all."

"You're my wife Rory, you deserve to be treated better than that. You deserve some respect!"

"Well, the good news is that we are in a really good place right now . . ."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your mother's therapist just saw your parents' true colors."

"And she has now seen how completely fake Mom is!"

"And now she realizes just how much work she has ahead of her."

"I need to get out of here."

"Logan, we flew here with your family. We can't exactly leave without them."

"Yes, we can!"

"You would really get on the plane, and leave your pregnant sister stranded here?"

"Well no, but Honor would understand."

"Logan . . ."

"Let's get out of here. I need to get out of here."

"Ok, we can go do something. This is Palm Springs. I'm sure we can find plenty of stuff to do. Didn't you say that there is an art museum or something?"

"And an observatory, shopping, a ton of restaurants. There's an aerial tram through the valley."

"Ok, so let's go then."

"I would rather go home."

"So we'll go home after Honor and Josh get back. But for right now, let's go do something to take your mind off everything."

"I don't understand how you are so calm about everything." Logan said as Rory reached for his hand.

"Because I accepted that your parents hate me, 12 years ago. This isn't anything new at all."

"But it's still infuriating!"

"I'm used to it. And I've got a baby to think about . . ."

"How is she?" Logan asked, his anger finally starting to dissipate at the thought of his daughter.

"She's good. She's moving around a lot today."

"I can't wait until I can feel her moving." Logan said softly as he placed his hand on Rory's stomach. "I am so sorry for the drama today baby girl."

"I don't think she has any idea what is going on."

"She's lucky. Part of me hopes that she will never know."

"Logan, you know that you can't protect her forever."

"Maybe not, but I can sure as hell try."

"Do you want to change before we go out?"

"Do I need to?" Logan asked, looking down at the button down shirt and slacks he was wearing.

"No, Babe, you look great. Just a little dressy. You can put on jeans or something."

"Are you going to change?"

"I'm just wearing leggings and a sweater. I'm changing my shoes though. Uggs are way more comfortable!" Rory said as Logan's phone rang, and she watched him pull it out of his pocket.

"It's Honor."

"Give me . . . Hey Honor"

"Is Logan ok?" Honor asked as soon as Rory answered her call.

"He's upset and wants to leave."

"What about you? How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. They've hated me for the last twelve years. This isn't anything new."

"So what's the plan?"

"We're going to go out for a while. Help Logan calm down a little."

"And after that?"

"I don't know. We'll figure it out when you guys get back."

"I guess that works."

"How are things going at the center?"

"Well, Mom showed her true colors. Both her and Dad really."

"What happened after we left?"

"Dad is pretty pissed."

"Did you get him calmed down?"

"We've been working on it. I had a nurse check him over a few minutes ago to make sure his heart and blood pressure are ok."

"Logan will appreciate that."

"I figured he would. Noel said Dad seems fine. He's in having lunch with Mom and Josh. I wanted to check in on you guys first."

"I'm fine. Logan will be too. He just needs to calm down." Rory said as she sat down on the bed to change her shoes, and watched Logan walk into the bathroom.

"Gayle wants to know if Logan still wants to meet with her?"

"I think maybe tomorrow might be better for him."

"I'll let her know. We have a couple more sessions after lunch, then dinner, and there is a marriage counseling thing after that, for Dad to go to. But we will be back after that, unless you guys want to meet up before then."

"I'll definitely let you know. Logan is pretty irritated. I'm not sure what he'll be feeling up to doing."

"That's totally understandable."

"What did Gayle say when we left?"

"She was a little surprised, but said that she fully understands. She asked if it happens often."

"What did you tell her?"

"Just that Logan is very protective of you, and that this whole thing has been a really sore spot since you met 12 years ago. She was surprised that it has gone on this long."

"Aren't we all?!"

"I told her that Logan would be fine. He just needs some time to calm down."

"We talked about it a little bit, and Gayle is going to talk to Mom and Dad about it during their marriage counseling session."

"I'm guessing we're going to have to talk about it tomorrow."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure that Dad is going to have some choice words when we get back."

"Yeah, well, he can't yell at someone who isn't here. Maybe we will just have to stay out until he's already in bed, and then show up tomorrow, after he's already there."

"You really think that will work?"

"Ten years ago, absolutely not. But today . . . Maybe."

"So you'll talk to Logan?"

"Absolutely. I'm already working on it."

"Tell him I love him, ok?"

"I will. Try to enjoy your lunch." Rory said, then ended the call.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Logan asked as he walked back into the room.

"I'm ready when you are."

***~ * ~ * ~ * The next morning * ~ * ~ * ~ ***

"Doctor Huntzberger, Mrs. Huntzberger, it's awfully nice of you to join us." Gayle said when Logan and Rory sauntered into the scheduled therapy session ten minutes late.

"I'm sorry we're late." Rory apologized.

"It's alright. Under the circumstances, I can understand your hesitation to be here. Your sister also told me to expect it. Do you guys want to take a seat, so we can get started?"

"I think I would rather stand." Logan said leaning up against the wall, as Rory took a seat next to Honor on a large couch.

"You doing ok?" Honor whispered as she slid an arm around her sister in-law.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Logan is just being Logan. He's upset."

"Yesterday, we were talking about expectations, and it seems that we all have some different expectations that we should probably discuss."

"Logan, Honey, why don't you come take a seat." Shira said sweetly. Logan defiantly crossed his arms over his chest, and stared straight ahead.

"It seems that everyone in this room has different expectations of each other, and how their lives should be going. And it seems that there is a lot of bad blood in this family because of it. So I think that today we need to start by clearing the air. I want us to go around the room, and everyone to say something nice that we like about each other. Honor, why don't we start with you. What do you like most about your brother?" Gayle asked.

"What I like most about him? I honestly don't know if there is just one thing that I like about him. Logan has always been the best brother in the world. He always supports me in every way, he's my best friend, and the one person who is always on my side, and has my back through everything. He's super smart, and funny, and the most incredibly stubborn person that I've ever met. But he's also the most passionate about things that he believes in. People who he believes in. Logan loves fiercely, and he is incredibly protective. And I've learned a lot from him. Logan is a really good judge of character . . . It might not always seem like it, because he's definitely got some pretty questionable friends. But if there is one thing that I can always count on Logan for, it is to be there when it matters. No matter what happens, or how pissed off Logan is, or how much he hates something, he is always there when it matters." Honor answered.

"And what about Rory? What do you like about her?"

"What I love most about Rory, is how amazing she is for my baby brother. She is the best thing that has ever happened to him, and to our family. Rory is incredibly smart, and confidant, a savvy business woman, a great leader . . . She believes in leading by example. Rory is the one person you can always count on to get things done. It doesn't matter how big or small the challenge, Rory will always take care of it. She is very loyal and dependable. She's the little sister I never got, and one of my closest friends. She makes my brother a better person. And I've never seen Logan happier than when he's with her."

"What about Josh? I know he's your husband, but we're not going to leave him out."

"Josh is brilliant! He's got an incredible mind. He's someone you can always talk to, who understands everything. Literally everything. He's supportive, and funny, and loyal, and he makes me a better person. No matter what happens, or how busy he is, Josh is always by my side. He might not speak much, but when he does, he always has something important to say, and it's one of those things that everyone needs to listen to, and will teach you a lesson. Josh is an observer. He always sees the bigger picture, and is able to bring everyone back to reality."

"Alright, what about your Dad?"

"Dad is fierce. Very loud, very boisterous. He is smart and has a lot of knowledge. He made getting a good education a priority for us, even when Logan made it difficult by constantly getting expelled from schools. Like Rory, Dad knows how to get things done. He's a strong business man with a very commanding presence."

"And what about your mother?"

"Mom is loyal to her family. No matter how much any of us have completely screwed up and let her down, Mom still loves us. It may be in a different way than a lot of other parents show it, but deep down, Mom still loves us. Obviously she didn't come from the best family, but Mom made sure that we had what we needed. Mom knows how to find people to help with things. She's good at delegating things."

"Alright, let's go with Josh next. Josh, what do you like about Logan?" Gayle asked.

"Logan is a great brother. He is always the first person to help with things, and he is a lot of fun to debate with. Logan might not always make the best decisions because he's very impulsive and incredibly stubborn, but he's got a good head on his shoulders, and he loves his family more than anything in this world. Logan is brave, and one of those people who goes after what he wants, and is determined to get it, no matter what the cost. And I think that the best thing that Logan has ever done, is marry his wife. Rory makes Logan a better person. She's smart, she's loyal, she's determined, and she's an incredible leader. Rory is a brilliant writer, and one of the smartest people I've ever met. She brings out the best in people. I don't get to spend a lot of time with Rory, but when I do, Rory is the one person who can always bring a smile to everyone's face. She lights up a room with her personality. Honor is my wife. She's my best friend. She's is someone that you can always be count on to be there for you. She loves fiercely, and will defend you to the ends of the earth. Honor goes out of her way to help people, and will always find a way to make things better. She is super positive, and the most supportive and loving person you will ever meet. Honor always sees the very best in people, no matter how much you might think they don't deserve it."

"And what about your in-laws, Mitchum and Shira?"

"Mitchum is a very powerful man. Very loud, very determined. Mitchum is a great business man. He has a way of getting into your head, and making you question your very existence. He is smart, and good at keeping up with global events. If you ever want to talk about what is going on in the world, Mitchum is the one person you can count on to have an informed opinion. And Shira, she loves her children, no matter how troublesome or misguided they might appear to be. She might not always like the choices that her children make, but regardless, she still loves them, and welcomes them home with open arms. No matter how badly you screw up, Shira will always let you come home."

"Thank you Josh. Why don't we go with Shira next."

"Aright." Shira smiled politely.

"Shira, what do you like most about each person in your family?"

"Well, Honor is the perfect older daughter. She is always very loving and supportive of her younger brother. She has always loved and encouraged him no matter what. And Joshua is the perfect extension of Honor. He is loyal and supportive. Very quiet, but someone who can be leaned on. Someone who is dependable and caring. He takes great care of our daughter."

"And Logan?" Gayle asked.

"Logan is very smart. Very determined. He doesn't care about anyone's opinion when he wants something. Logan does everything he can to reach his goals. And he's a great doctor. We are very proud of him."

"And Rory?"

"Rory is very determined as well. Very loyal to Logan. She is brave and doesn't let anything stand in her way. She is a lot like her mother."

"And Mitchum?"

"Mitchum is a wonderful father. He always put education first and made sure that the kids had everything they needed. Nothing is ever too hard for Mitchum. He is very dedicated to his job, and he is good at it."

"Alright, Mitchum, I do believe that it is your turn."

"What about Rory and Logan?" Mitchum asked.

"We are going to get to them last. I have a reason for it. So go ahead. What do you like most about your family?"

"Honor lives up to her name. She is very honorable, loyal, fierce, friend to everyone. Honor sees the best in people. And Joshua does too. He is very dedicated to my daughter. He is always there for her. He's a good provider, and good husband. Shira is a good mother. She has always made sure that the children were taken care of. She always made sure they had the best nannies, and everything they needed."

"Alright, what about your son and his wife?"

"Logan is stubborn as a bull. He knows what he wants and he doesn't care about anyone's opinion but his own. Logan is always right, or at least he thinks that he is. He makes decisions for himself, and he doesn't need anyone else. Logan is very independent. He works hard for what he wants, and he goes out and gets it. He likes to prove everyone wrong. Logan is a rule breaker. Hurdles don't matter to him. When something gets in Logan's way, he'll barrel his way right through it. What Logan wants, Logan gets. Rory is a great student. She's smart and loyal. Rory loves Logan, and she supports everything he does. Rory is a leader. Unlike Logan, she likes to follow the rules, but she forges her own path rather than following the one set out before her. Rory doesn't let other people get her down. She stands up for what she believes in. She is the one person in the world who isn't afraid of me. Who is willing to put me in my place, and tell me exactly how big of a jerk I'm being, and what I need to do to fix it."

"Alright, Rory, how about you?"

"Ok, well, I'll start with Mitchum. Logan gets all of his stubbornness and bullheadedness directly from his father. Mitchum is a force to be reckoned with. Mitchum knows how to get his way when he wants to. Like Josh said earlier, Mitchum has a way of making you question everything about yourself. He is very loud and isn't afraid to take a stand, or tell you how he feels about something. Like Mitchum said about Logan, Mitchum always thinks that he is right about everything. Even when he isn't. But the difference between the two of them, is that Logan isn't afraid to admit when he's wrong. Mitchum is very dedicated to his family, and to his work. Probably more than he should be. He is very controlling and doesn't like to let go of things. He is a shark of a businessman. Everyone is afraid of him. And Shira . . . Shira is very dedicated to the Huntzbergers. She will do whatever she thinks is best for them. Shira is a great follower. Like Honor, she is a people pleaser. Shira likes for people to like her. She'll try to be whoever she needs to be in order for the people she wants to be around, to be accepting of her. Honor is a people pleaser as well, but she always sees the best in people, no matter how much the rest of us don't agree. She is accepting, and loving. She is an incredible friend, and the most amazing sister. Honor loves her family more than anything in the world, and there is nothing that she wouldn't do for them. Honor is loyal and supportive, and loves to help. She is super fun to be around, and she is always the happiest person in the room, no matter what the situation. Josh, like he said, we don't get to spend much time together because we are both always super busy, but Josh is the most supportive husband in the world. He is a great friend, and always there to help with everything. He is a great person to talk to, and gives the most amazing advice! He is a good listener, and a really good friend. I can always count on Josh to help me see the bigger picture. Now Logan . . . I tried to hate Logan. I REALLY did." Rory said as she stood from her seat, and walked across the room to join her husband by the door. Logan gave her a brief smile as he slid an arm around her waist. "Logan is the most arrogant, self-centered, infuriating, obnoxious, beyond stubborn person that you will ever meet." Logan looked up as Honor bit her tongue, trying to hide her laughter. "It's fine to laugh Honor, Logan knows all of this, and he fully admits to it . . . At times, talking to Logan is no different than talking to a brick wall. He is a lot like his father. Logan has this way of driving you right to the brink of insanity, and then torturing you to the point where you want to jump off a cliff, just so you can get away from him. Logan is determined as hell, and he's a fighter. When Logan wants something, he does everything in his power to get it, no matter how many road blocks he faces. Logan will jump through fire to get what he wants. He is brave and loud, and in your face. Logan will fight you on things, just to prove a point. But he can always be counted on, no matter what is going on. Logan loves his family. Even when they make him completely crazy, he still loves them, and there is almost nothing that he wouldn't do for them. Logan is my very best friend, and the most incredible husband in the world. He's always there for me, no matter what else is going on. He is strong, and extremely protective. Logan believes in me, even when I don't believe in myself. He has more faith in things than anyone I have ever met. He pushes me to do stuff that scares the hell out of me. But he does it because he knows that it's what is best for me. Logan is fearless, and he's a trouble maker. He isn't afraid to stand up for what he believes in, no matter how unpopular his opinion might be. Logan will fight for you, even when you think that he really shouldn't. Logan is super smart, and loyal, and the most amazing doctor. There is no challenge too big for him. He has an answer to every question, and a solution for every problem. But the one thing that most people don't realize about Logan, that probably only I can see . . . And he's probably going to really hate me for this, but I think that it needs to be said . . . Logan is a lot like Honor and Shira . . . He's a people pleaser. Logan might act like he doesn't give a damn what other people think about him, his choices, his actions, and his family . . . But deep down, he really does. Logan cares more than even he realizes. He's insecure, and he gets upset and jealous over things that he really cares about. Logan gets mad as hell when he feels threatened, and he lashes out and holds grudges. But he does it because he cares, because he wants what is best for you. What is best for all of us. Logan is a leader, not a follower. He's a wonderful businessman, and the sweetest, most loving man that I've ever met. Logan likes to succeed, and he isn't afraid to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He's an overachiever, but also likes to do the absolute bare minimum. He's crazy, unpredictable, and has the most energy of anyone I know. But at the end of the day, the one thing that matters most to Logan, is his family. And that is why he's here today. Because as mad as he is over things that have been said in the past, Logan cares about all of you. And he wants what is best for you."

"Damn! Honor smiled. Well said! You're screwed Logan!"

"Alright Doctor Huntzberger, it's your turn." Gayle smiled. "I definitely think that your wife is a tough act to follow, but let's hear what you like most about everyone in this family."

"Do I have to?" Logan asked with a chuckle. "Can't I just say ditto to everything Rory just said?"

"Come on Logan. We know that Rory speaks for both of you, but let's hear it in your own words." Honor told him.

"Fine . . . I guess I'll just start with Rory since she's the easiest . . . Rory obviously always sees the best in people. She is clearly amazing. She is an amazing judge of character, and she calls it like she sees it. She is patient, smart, super witty . . . She is determined, confidant, loyal, brave enough to stand up to Dad and never afraid to tell him exactly what she thinks of him. Crazy enough to stand up to me, and then watch me burn down and destroy everything around me. Rory loves to learn, but she also likes to teach. Rory is a born leader. She knows what she wants, and she puts everything into getting it, no matter what challenges she has to face. She knows how to get things done, and she knows how to make people do things, and then come away thinking that doing so was actually their idea. Rory is beautiful, and loving, and she loves to be appreciated and respected. She goes out of her way to be nice to people, to get to know them, and to care about them and the things they are interested in. Rory never does things halfway. She's an over achiever. It's always go big or go home with her. Anything that Rory tackles, she conquers. There isn't a single problem that Rory hasn't been able to fix, in the entire time that I've known her. She always finds a way to get things done, no matter how insurmountable the challenge might be. Rory is friendly to everyone, and she makes you want to get to know her. And then in knowing her, she makes you want to be a better person. It's kind of funny because Josh is actually a lot like Rory. He's a really quiet person, until you get to know him. He listens, he understands, and he makes you see things from a new perspective. He's patient, and calculating. Josh weighs the options of every move he makes, and he thinks everything completely through from beginning to end. Josh never rushes into making a decision, and he has an incredible amount of patience no matter what is going on around him. Josh is peaceful and thorough. There is a method to his madness, and also a clear and concise reason. Josh is a planner. He likes to schedule things out rather than jump at the spur of the moment, like I do. I know for a fact that I drive Josh completely crazy, all the time. But Josh still loves me, and looks out for me like the big brother that I never had. He's become one of my best friends, and someone I can turn to whenever I need anything. And he treats my sister like royalty, which makes me really like him, because Honor is my rock. She means the world to me. Honor is the one person who I have been able to count on, my entire life. She looks out for me, and loves me more than I deserve. Like Rory, Honor always sees the best in people, and she is always incredibly happy, and more than willing to bend over backwards to help others. Honor is a giver. She loves to take care of people. Honor helped raise me. Without her, I would be a much bigger pain in the ass than I already am. All those crazy mean things that Rory said about me, they're all true. Honor will attest to it. But Honor challenges me to be better than all of those things. She has taught me patience, and to have hope. Honor is definitely a people pleaser, but she is also a fighter. She fights for the things and the people that she loves, and she makes you a better person, just by knowing her. Honor is a believer. She believes in you, even when you don't have any reason to believe in yourself. She will literally pick you up off the floor, dust you off, and push you to keep going, even when you have zero interest in doing it. I went to medical school because of her. She not only paid for my tuition, but she gave me somewhere to live, sat up studying with me all night, made sure I ate, and even woke me up to make sure that I got to class on time. She is an incredible sister, and a wonderful mother. I am a doctor because Honor cared enough to push me to try. Because she never gave up on me. Because she is my best friend in the entire world."

"Thanks Logan, now I'm crying." Honor said as she reached for a kleenex to wipe her tears.

"Honor loves me unconditionally, and she loves my wife. Heck, I only have a wife because of Honor. Because she pushed me to go after what I wanted, no matter what anyone else in the family had to say about it. Honor has always believed in me, and made me a better person."

"What about your parents?" Gayle asked.

"My parents gave me Honor. I can't ever thank them enough for that." Logan started. Dad has always taken pride in education and in the family business. He has a crazy great work ethic, and has never been afraid to put in the long hours. He's a stubborn mule, and often likes to hear the sound of his own voice. Dad doesn't tolerate nonsense. He expects a lot of people. But he helped build a great business to turn over to the next generation of Huntzbergers. It's taken several people to replace him because Dad did so much. And Mom . . . She did her best to make sure Honor and I were always taken care of. She is a people pleaser, and I think she got pretty manipulated into doing things a certain way, even though she would rather have done things differently, had she been given the chance. I think mom is actually more like me than I ever thought, and mom is insecure and easily jealous, which makes her easily manipulated by those around her. I think that if we actually gave mom a chance to change, and gave her the opportunity to do things differently, away from certain manipulative and super controlling people, I think that things could be very different for our family. I think that mom was raised differently . . . She was raised a lot like Rory was . . . And part of me doesn't actually believe that Mom's family was constantly trying to take advantage of the Huntzberger name. I'm thinking that a lot of what she told us yesterday was actually told to her by Grandpa, and never actually happened. Because Grandpa is the puppet master in this family. Not Dad. I don't see Dad cutting anyone off, because Lord knows that he should have cut me off years ago . . . It took me a really long time to see it, but I think that Mom actually is the victim in all of this mess. Mom was really close to her family until she met Dad, and got pregnant with Honor. Mom and Dad were forced to get married, and I'm pretty sure that Grandpa was the one forcing Mom and dad to hire nannies to take care of us, instead of actually raising us themselves. I think that Mom wasn't allowed to actually be a mother to us, and that is why mom drank so much, and was always self-medicating. Because Mom was never actually allowed to be our mother, and I think it's been slowly killing Mom this entire time. Mom's entire pill and alcohol problem is a direct byproduct of how Grandpa manipulated her from day one. It's the reason that Mom is happier out here in California. No one knows her out here. No one is pressuring her to be the stone faced society wife. Mom can be whoever she wants to be. She can get a fresh start here. The reason that mom has been more pleasant and tolerable to be around, is because she has the freedom here to be herself. She isn't being manipulated here, and told how to act, how to raise her children, and how to live her life. She doesn't have to dress a certain way, or look a certain way. Mom doesn't have a part to play out here. She can do yoga, take long walks, go swimming, play sports. Mom can do whatever she wants here because no one knows us, and no one is telling her that it is wrong for her to act a certain way. And judging by the tears rolling down Mom's face, I'd say that I just hit it the entire problem, pretty damn hard, directly on the head."

"And THIS is why you're the doctor." Honor sniffled, getting up from her seat, and walking over to Shira, throwing her arms around her mother. "Mom, I am so sorry!"


	51. Chapter 51

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

What day is it today? Is it Monday? Because it feels like a Monday.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! Fanfiction went down for 3 days, and none of the reviews were showing, which was making me completely crazy! I kept watching the number of available reviews go up, but nothing was loading on the site until just a little while ago. Freaking FINALLY! I am so glad so many of you loved the last chapter. It definitely took an unexpected turn at the last minute, that even I didn't expect. I don't have anything planned out as I write. I'm not one of those people who sits down and plots everything out piece by piece, before starting a story. I just start typing, and whatever comes out through my fingers, is what comes out. I am just as surprised as all of you. But I am so glad that you are all loving it. Your kind words mean a lot to me. Thank you all so much! :-)

* * *

"Ok, so that was a really big unexpected blow." Rory whispered as she moved across the room with Logan, to take a seat on the couch with Josh.

"The entire thing just occurred to me as I was talking. I didn't mean to upset mom, but I do think that she deserves to know. She's been manipulated enough. Plus, it all completely makes sense. It's like a huge part of my life suddenly makes so much sense."

"So what do we do about it?"

"I have no idea."

"What are you guys whispering about?" Josh leaned over to ask, whispering himself.

"Bombshell." Logan answered.

"This all just now occurred to you?"

"Literally just now."

"Your mom is really upset."

"I can see that."

"You should go talk to her."

"ME?!" Logan asked shocked.

"Yes, you. Honor is already over there. You're the one who said the words. You two are her kids. You need to go talk to her. I think right now, sending your Dad is just going to upset her more."

"I'm wondering how much of it Dad knew about."

"I'm sure we can figure that out later. Your mom just suffered a major blow though. I know that you aren't close, but if she was as close with her family as Rory and I are with ours, this is a gigantic blow to her, and she's got over 30 years of loss to deal with."

"Logan, you need to go over there." Rory agreed

"I don't know what to do. What do I even say at this point?"

"I have no idea . . . Treat it like if this happened to me. What would you do if I were in that situation?"

"Besides kill somebody?"

"Other than wanting to kill somebody, if it was just me and you, what would you do? Just do that. That is what your mom needs right now."

"Are you sure?"

"I agree with Rory." Josh told him.

"This is just too weird."

"I know, but she really needs you guys right now. Go!" Rory said again, patting Logan's leg. Josh slid over to sit next to Rory and put his arm over her shoulders.

"Just so you know. You're an amazing wife. And I really like having you around. Thanks for everything you said about me."

"You're welcome. I like having you around too." Rory smiled. "Thanks for what you said as well. It means a lot."

"You and I have a lot in common, being the outsiders in this family."

"That's for sure. But at least we have a good relationship, right?"

"Yes, definitely! I'm sorry the crazies have hated you for so long. I've never understood it. I happen to like you a lot."

"Thanks Josh. I like you too. I actually need your help with something."

"What's that?"

"Logan's birthday is next week."

"We'll definitely do something. Let's talk later, ok?"

"Thank you." Rory said as she looked toward Mitchum who was hunched over in his chair, with this hands clasped together, looking at the floor. "Do you think Mitchum is ok?"

"Probably."

"Should we check on him?"

"Do you think we should?"

"Is it weird that I'm scared?"

"Want me to do it?"

"Will you?"

"Sure." Josh said then slowly got up from his seat and walked over to Mitchum. "Hey, you ok Mitchum? Do you need anything?"

"I'm fine. That was an awfully big blow Logan just threw at his mother."

"I know. How much of it did you know about?"

"Very little. I only knew about as much as Shira."

"Maybe you should go comfort her."

"She's got the kids."

"But you're her husband. If it were Honor, I'm who she would want."

"Shira and I aren't like you and Honor."

"I know that you two have had your differences, and haven't had the strongest marriage, but you're still her husband. I think it would go a long way to helping things between the two of you." Josh told him, then went to sit back down with Rory.

**Meanwhile . . .**

"Mom, I'm sorry." Logan said as he crouched down on the floor next to Honor, and looked up at his mother as she cried. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm really sorry."

"Mom, what can we do to help you?" Honor asked as she hugged Shira.

"Mom, I'm going to fix this for you, ok?" Logan offered. "I'm going to figure out a way to fix this." he said reaching for her hand, and squeezing it.

"Logan and I will figure out a way to make this better." Honor confirmed. "Everything is going to be ok."

"Shira . . . Dear . . . I'm sorry." Mitchum said stepping up next to his children, and kneeling down at Shira's side, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.

"You know, I think this is probably the only time the four of them have ever been this close to each other." Josh whispered to Rory.

"I know. I'm taking a picture." Rory whispered back as she reached into her purse for her phone, and discretely snapped a quick picture. "Hey Josh . . . I just had an idea."

"What's that?"

"We need to try to find Shira's family."

"I was thinking that too."

"You and Honor brought Shira out here, and got her all registered for the program . . . What kind of leave policy do they have? Like if we wanted to sign Shira out for a couple of days. Do they have anything like that available?"

"I don't know. Logan might know that answer."

"I'm going to go talk to Gayle for a minute. Will you take a picture if anything momentous happens? I want to get a picture for them to have later."

"Sure." Josh answered as Rory handed him her phone, then got up and walked over to Gayle.

"Hey Gayle, can I ask you a kind of random question?" Rory asked.

"Sure."

"With everything that just happened, I feel like I need to do something . . ."

"Alright?"

"Josh and I are going to try to find Shira's family. But I was wondering, is there some kind of leave policy available for Shira's program? I don't want to jeopardize her recovery, but I'm wondering if there is maybe a two day window available that we might be able to sign Shira out, and then bring her back. I was thinking that maybe if we can find her family, maybe we could try to reunite them or something? Do you think that might be possible?"

"Ordinarily we don't do anything like that. Legally, patients can leave the program at any time, of their own will. They are all here voluntarily. Barring a family emergency, leaving the facility before completion of their treatment, jeopardizes the patient's chances of recovery. Shira still has several more weeks to go. And judging by the last 24 hours, I think that we definitely have a lot of work to do. Shira has been doing very well here, but today has obviously been very trying for her. I think we have our work cut out for us right now."

"With this family, you definitely do." Rory chuckled.

"I can see why your husband and his sister speak so highly of you. Even after everything that has been thrown at you, you are still putting your mother in-law's well-being ahead of yourself."

"It's how I was raised. Plus, I've had 12 years to get over my in-laws hating me. It's more of an amusement now than anything else. There isn't anything that they could really say at this point, that would actually upset me."

"It takes a really big person to turn the other cheek."

"I don't know how much I really turn the other cheek. I believe in karma. What goes around, comes around. There is no need for me to make things worse for them. I was raised to kill them with kindness. It's much more fun to watch them wonder what I'm plotting behind their backs."

"You've never wanted to fire back at them?"

"It's not my style. I mean, I am definitely not afraid to stand up to them when needed. But payback isn't my style. I'm more of the girl who eats a 24 ounce steak bite by bite and then washes it down with a giant slice of chocolate cake while watching Mitchum eat his bland soup and salad to go with his post heart attack diet. Normally I would eat much healthier options, but he really deserved it that day."

"I like your style." Gayle chuckled.

"I learned it from my mom." Rory smiled, then headed back to rejoin Josh.

"My plan is a no go."

"We'll figure something out." Josh said as Logan came to sit back down with them.

"She seems to be calming down." Logan told them.

"That's good." Rory said as she snuggled up next to him.

"You know that I didn't mean to upset her, right?"

"No Honey, of course you didn't."

"I have a feeling this is about to majorly backfire in my face."

"No Logan. I think this is actually a very good thing. I've got your back on this. Don't worry."

"I saw you talking to Gayle."

"I'll tell you later. I just had a question for her."

"Are you doing ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. What about you? This didn't exactly go like we thought it would."

"I'm fine. Kind of dumbfounded and confused, but completely fine."

"Hey Shira, you doing alright?" Gayle asked. Shira just nodded and sniffled. "Do you want to continue, or should we take a break?"

"I'll be fine. Let's finish."

"Are you sure? That was a pretty big blow you just suffered."

"I'll be fine." Shira repeated.

"Honor, you should sit." Mitchum said getting up, and grabbing his daughter a chair, then moving one for himself on the other side of Shira.

"Mom, you don't have to do this. We can take a break." Honor said softly, as she sat down next to Shira, and reached for her hand.

"I'll be fine. Taking a break won't change anything. What's done is done."

"Seriously?" Rory whispered, looking up at Logan who just shrugged. "Since when is she the strong brave one?"

"I'm starting to question my entire life."

"I can't say I even blame you." Rory agreed as she laid her head on her husband's shoulder, and laid a hand on his chest, which Logan took in his own.

"I'm glad you're here. I don't think I could deal with this crap alone."

"Alright, so Shira, let me ask you this." Gayle started. "How are you feeling about everything that just happened? You were quite upset there for a moment. What are you thinking? Do you agree with everything that Logan just said? What are your thoughts about all of this?"

"Well . . . I almost want to say that he's wrong, but Logan rarely is."

"And that's not going to go to his head at all." Honor smirked.

"I mean, Logan is a doctor. He is trained to spot this stuff, right?"

"He did have to take a psychology class, and be tested on how to spot abuse, yes." Gayle confirmed.

"Logan has always been smarter than the rest of us."

"Just keep padding his ego." Honor chuckled.

"Honor, really." Shira chided. "I'm not quite sure what to think at the moment. I want to believe that Logan is wrong, and that isn't at all what happened. But it does sound right for Elias. He was a very manipulative man."

"Mitchum, what do you think about all of this?" Gayle asked.

"I don't like to tell Logan that he is right. He's my son. His ego is way too big already."

"Thank you!" Honor agreed.

"It sounds like something that Elias has done before."

"The man has a history." Logan commented.

"Mitchum, do you think that these accusations could be correct?"

"My father was always very controlling. There was a distinct order to everything, and everyone must fall in line. Anyone who dared cross that man was as good as dead to him. It was very hard to have your own opinion when he was around."

"The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, does it?" Logan commented.

"Logan, stop." Honor scolded him. "Right now isn't the time for that."

"Shira, how do you feel about the way your children were raised. You all mentioned that you had hired help." Gayle asked.

"Yes, the kids had nannies growing up. From the day they were born, Elias hired nannies to take care of them." Shira confirmed.

"How did that make you feel?"

"At first, it was great to have the extra help. All new moms get worn out so quickly, having the extra help was a real blessing."

"But . . ." Honor prodded.

"But they took away from my chance at being an actual mother. Elias had the nannies take care of everything. I wasn't allowed to do anything. Every time I tried to spend time with my babies, Elias would get upset, and have the nannies take the children away. I was scolded for wasting my time on them when I had 'work' to do, which I didn't actually have anything to do at all. I was sent to events; DAR meetings, luncheons at the club, tea parties with other wives of Elias' friends. I wasn't allowed to do what I wanted. I spent very little time with my children because I wasn't allowed. I spent all my time doing what Elias instructed."

"And why did you do that?"

"Because I had to. If I wanted to remain part of the family, and be cut off without a dime, I had to do exactly what Elias instructed."

"What do you mean cut off without a dime?"

"Mom was forced to sign a ridiculous prenup which literally gave her nothing. She's always had a set weekly allowance and if she ever decided to leave, or Dad decided to divorce her, she would be left destitute." Honor explained.

"Wow!" Gayle commented in a shocked voice.

"I got pregnant at 17. I didn't know any better. Elias had me sign it the day I turned 18. He said he would take my baby away if I didn't. What was I supposed to do?"

"Mitchum, did you know about this?"

"I did." Mitchum confirmed. "I couldn't do anything about it. I was locked in a contract as well."

"What kind of contract?"

"I had to work for the family business and fill a certain quota. My contract ended when Elias died."

"So maybe Mom's prenup should end too." Logan told them.

"I'll look into having it amended."

"You should have it voided altogether. Do away with it completely."

"Logan, just because you were ridiculous enough to not have Rory sign a prenup does not mean that they aren't a necessity for the rest of us."

"Really Dad? You REALLY want to go there right now?! You and Mom have been married for over 35 years! You really think that she's going to walk out and take half of your fortune? After all this time? You really think that Mom would do that? After everything that you've put her through? Because I can guarantee that she would get way more than half if she took you to court. Even with that ridiculous prenup! There are a ton of loop holes in that thing!"

"Logan . . ." Mitchum warned.

"And for the record, I refuse to give my wife a prenup because I believe in the sanctity of marriage. And I also love her and I trust her! And for the record, Honor didn't sign one either!"

"She sure as hell was supposed to!"

"Well she didn't. So there's that!"

"Logan!" Honor scolded.

"I'm sorry, but I am NOT taking the brunt of this alone. Prenups are archaic and ridiculous! If you can't trust your spouse, and you don't love them, then what is the point of getting married?!"

"I agree with Logan." Josh spoke up.

"Thank you!" Logan told him.

"Honor, since you didn't sign the prenup you were given, what did happen to it?" Mitchum asked.

"I burned it." Logan answered. "Josh and Honor were both upset about and didn't feel that it was fair to either of them. Neither of them felt right about signing it, so I took it from them, and I burned it. I did everyone a favor, and I don't regret it at all."

"Do Josh's parents know?"

"Yep! They were there when I did it."

"And why were your Mother and I never told about this?"

"Because you and Grandpa would both have had a freaking coronary! Honor didn't deserve to have her wedding canceled. I did what I had to do to protect my sister. And I would do it again in a heartbeat!"

"Alright, we are getting a little off track here." Gayle said, interrupting the argument. "Shira, what would you have done differently had you not been forced into having nannies raise your children?"

"I would have done everything differently. I wasn't allowed to even change a diaper. The only thing I was actually allowed to do was buy their clothing, but only from certain stores."

"That explains a lot." Honor commented.

"Elias had very tight control of everything. He dictated every move you made. The children weren't even allowed to play sports because Elias thought it was a waste of time and talent. The children were sent to private schools, and Logan to boarding school. They learned to speak three languages, and to play piano."

"You play piano and speak three languages? Rory asked, looking up at Logan.

"No." Logan laughed. "That would be Honor. It's a little hard to learn that kind of stuff when you are kicked out of school every couple weeks."

"Logan never stayed in one place long enough to learn much of anything." Honor confirmed.

"Hey, in my defense, I know how to insult people in about ten different languages." Logan defended himself.

"Definitely a marketable talent."

"Logan and his friends are quite the troublemakers." Mitchum confirmed.

"I had to have fun somehow." Logan shrugged.

**~ * ~ * ~ * Later that evening * ~ * ~ * ~ ***

"Hey Honor, do you happen to know Mom's maiden name?" Logan asked as they sat in the living area of their hotel suite that evening.

"I think it was Ogletree or something like that. Why do you ask?"

"I'm trying to look up her family."

"We could call and ask her, you know?"

"We could, but I would rather not involve Mom and get her hopes up. We don't need to upset her anymore than we already have."

"So what is your plan then?" Honor asked.

"I'm going to track them down, and find out exactly how much of my theory is right."

"What if what Mom originally said about them is true?"

"I doubt that it is, but if by some miracle that is actually the case, I'll deal with it. But if it's not, don't you think that Mom actually deserves the chance to have a real family again?"

"Can you picture Mom living on a farm in Oklahoma?"

"I can't even picture Mom changing the diapers she claimed she wanted to help with." Logan laughed.

"Is it bad that I'm not even sure Mom can be trusted to be alone with a baby?"

"As much as I agree with that statement, I've never babysat a day in my life." Rory told them. "I've got 3 godchildren, but I've never actually done more than hold and play with them."

"I'm pretty sure that Logan hasn't either." Honor laughed.

"See Honor, this is exactly why you were supposed to have the first baby. That we we could all get ourselves some practice."

"Collin has a kid. Why didn't you get your practice from him?"

"Yeah right! Do you really think that Collin and Stephanie are stupid enough to let me anywhere near their kid?"

"Collin, YES! But you're right, Stephanie is smarter than that." Honor agreed.

"We'll be fine. It's not like my mom will be leaving us alone with Ayribella until she's sure we are capable of taking care of her ourselves." Rory told them.

"That's a really good point." Honor agreed. "At least we have Lorelai. She's the baby whisperer."

"What time are we leaving tomorrow?"

"Right after breakfast. Why?" Logan asked.

"I just have a lot to get done this week. The clinic opens in less than one week, and as of right now, we aren't ready."

"We'll be ready." Logan told her.

"We better be! Press releases go out tomorrow.


	52. Chapter 52

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

What day is it today? Is it Monday? Because it feels like a Monday.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! I am so glad you guys are loving this story! Your kind words mean a lot to me. Thank you so much! This chapter was fun to write. I hope you all love it! :-)

* * *

"Alright Doyle, what's going on?" Rory asked as she stepped out of the elevator with Logan Monday morning, to find Doyle waiting on them.

"There was a large shipment delivered for the clinic on Friday."

"Alright, where is it?" Logan asked.

"Down stairs, in the clinic. The hospital is sending over a shipment of supplies this morning. They should be arriving in the next hour. Friday's events are a go, the formal announcement went out in the papers this morning, and press invites are scheduled to go out at noon."

"What time is the furniture delivery coming?" Rory asked.

"They just called a little while ago and said they would be here by ten."

What about the PI I texted you about yesterday?" Logan asked.

"The guy we normally use is on vacation, so I called your buddy Collin. He's taking care of it."

"That's perfect! See, I told you we should have just called Collin." Rory chirped as they walked into her office.

"I just didn't have time for an explanation, and I figured the guy HPG normally uses is just as good." Logan explained.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, Collin didn't ask me for any explanations." Doyle told them.

"Well, it's not like you had one to give in the first place."

"Collin also said to tell you that he would see you at noon for lunch."

"Oh that's perfect! Free labor!" Rory beamed.

"It's not free. We are going to have to explain everything to Collin." Logan reminded her.

"Oh boo hoo! We have to explain to our attorney what happened at family weekend. Go get some beer, and we can make Collin help us get your office ready."

"I don't want to know, do I?" Doyle asked.

"In all honesty?" Rory asked. "Probably not. It's a LONG story. Let's just be glad that no one is in jail, and that the one person who probably should be, is dead."

"Yeah, I'm going to leave that one alone." Doyle chuckled.

"So what else is going on this morning?" Rory asked.

"Sylvester has called 4 times in the last hour."

"It's only 8am. Technically the business day doesn't even start until 9."

"I wish I knew, but he refuses to tell me."

"What the hell could he possibly want?" Logan asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"When is the inspector coming for the clinic?"

"You mean inspectors."

"Catch me up?"

"You have an inspector from the hospital, one from the health department, one from OSHA, one from the city, one from the county, and one from the state medical board."

"Wait, that's six. Why do we have six inspections?" Rory asked.

"You actually have seven. There is also one from the insurance company coming out, but he won't be here until Monday, and his approval isn't needed to open. He just needs to make sure that the facility isn't just a scam of an address, and has a licensed doctor practicing."

"You're serious right now?" Logan asked.

"I wish I wasn't."

"So when are they all coming?"

"They should all be here on Thursday. Although, OSHA tends to show up whenever they want to. And as far as I know, they could be checking the entire building, not just the clinic."

"OSHA is also the inspection that you never want to deal with, because they're a nitpicky nightmare! Freaking awesome!"

"If I were you, I would keep your beer off the premises. Find a different way to trick Collin into helping you."

"But the clinic isn't even a functioning business, or office space yet."

"Yes, but OSHA won't care. You are still an HPG employee, as well as a hospital employee. Drinking on company grounds, especially during business hours is considered alcohol consumption while working. They can not only have you terminated, and shut the entire company down, but they can also take away your medical license."

"Bastards!"

"Pretty much! And writing up that story for our papers will make us look particularly bad!"

"What fun is putting together furniture, if you can't get drunk while doing it?!"

"I'm calling my Dad." Rory told them.

"Christopher doesn't practice law in New York, he can't do anything about it." Logan reminded her. "Collin would be the one dealing with OSHA, and he would also be one of the people under fire."

"I'm not calling that Dad. I'm calling my other Dad. I'm calling Luke! He'll happily come put together all the furniture, and he'll do it correctly, AND sober. And then he'll cook us dinner."

"I told you that I would take care of putting all of it together. You don't believe that I can do it?"

"Actually, I know that you can't do it. When have you ever put anything together? I'm calling my Dad. It's better to just call him now and have it all put together properly, than it is to waste several hours watching you and Collin make a big mess of everything, and then I have to call Luke and beg him rush over as fast as he possibly can, to come fix it all before the inspectors get here. I'm doing us all a gigantic favor."

"Ouch! I'm hurt that you have so little faith in me!"

"Please! Save the act for someone who doesn't know you." Rory laughed as she quickly dialed the phone.

"Come on Logan, even I'm a better handy man than you are." Doyle laughed.

"Luke's!" Luke's voice bellowed through the phone line a moment later.

"Hey Daddy? How pretty do you think I am?"

"Is this some kind of trick question?" Luke sighed.

"Daddy, I need you to bring me Bert."

"You need Bert?"

"Yes."

"Can I ask why?"

"Because I have an office full of furniture that needs to be put together, and OSHA is coming this week, along with 6 other inspectors."

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thanks Daddy! I love you!" Rory smiled as she ended the call. "Luke is on his way!"

"Alright, so that is one item taken off the list." Doyle said as he marked off his check list.

"What else do we need?"

"Caterer for Friday."

"Already done! Sookie has it all under control! She'll be here on Thursday!"

"We need ribbon cutting supplies."

"I believe Sookie, my Mom, and my Grandmother are handling that and all decorations. They should all be here Thursday morning."

"Alright, what about after the opening?"

"That is all taken care of as well. All event preparations have been delegated and fulfilled."

"What about clean up?"

"Didn't we hire someone?"

"We did, they will be here Friday morning at 8am."

"What else do we still need?"

"Nothing that I am currently aware of. We are just waiting on deliveries, and inspections."

"Alrighty then. I am going to take my computer, and go downstairs with Logan to supervise the deliveries and furniture building. Let me know if you need me for anything. And find out what Sylvester wants. And whatever his drama is, remind him that I am still willing to buy him out. Offer him 5, and max out at 7. I'm not paying for anyone else's overseas move."

"Will do." Doyle said as he turned to leave the office.

"Oh, Doyle, one more thing."

"Yes Ma'am!" he said as he turned back around.

"I'm going to go ahead and let security know about Collin and Luke coming to help downstairs, but in case you get a call saying they're here and asking for us, just remind security that they've got prior clearance, and to send them to the clinic. And tell them to not hassle my Dad about his tool box. I need it."

"I'll let them know."

"Thanks Doyle. You're the best!" Rory smiled as she reached for the laptop sitting on her desk. "Logan, are you ready?" Rory asked as her phone rang. "You've reached the Spawn!" she chirped into it.

"You stole my husband!"

"I did not!"

"Yes you did! You called, used my line about looking pretty, pulled the Daddy card, and you totally stole my husband!"

"I did not steal your husband! I asked my Daddy for help building furniture. And he said yes, which is entirely all your fault, because you taught me how to pull the Daddy card when I need something!"

"Part of me wants to applaud your efforts, but the other part is kind of disgusted."

"What can I say except you're welcome?" Rory sang through the phone.

"Oh you're funny! You funny, funny little girl!"

"I told you that you would regret making me watch that movie with you."

"How can you possibly speak such blasphemy!? It's The ROCK!"

"Well if you chose to drive up with Luke today, I might be able to tell you where The Rock is filming today."

"Do you actually know, or are you just messing with me and trying to sucker me into making the very long drive into the city?"

"I actually saw him when we stopped for coffee on our way to the office."

"For real? You saw THE Rock?"

"Ginormously tall tan dude with huge muscles and a bald head? Yeah, I do believe that was him."

"You're lying!"

"Hey Logan? Who was that guy we saw outside the coffee shop on the way here?" Rory asked, switching her phone to put Lorelai on speaker.

"Which one?" Logan asked.

"The bald one."

"You mean Dwayne Johnson?"

"See! I told you we saw him!"

"You two are both lying to me! How dare you try to manipulate your mother like that! That is so mean!"

"How are we manipulating you?" Logan asked.

"Your evil little wife calls my husband, and completely steals him away from me so he can come build some lame furniture for the two of you, and then you lie to me about seeing my boyfriend The Rock on your way into the office, all in an effort to manipulate me to make the long dreary drive up to see you guys today, when you clearly know that my day is booked full of meetings, and I am completely swamped all week, and already coming up after work on Wednesday, to spend the entire rest of the week with you! How dare you be so mean to Mommy! After everything that I've done for you, I can't believe that the two of you would completely turn on me like this!"

"What can I say except you're welcome?" Rory sang again, which made Logan crack up laughing.

"You evil, evil little girl! I should disown you!"

"You could, but I'm the one with the adorable baby girl in my belly, and disowning me denies you access to her."

"Damn! Who taught you to play so dirty?!"

"So I'll see you in a couple of hours then?"

"You owe me lunch! And baby snuggles!"

"I can only promise lunch at this point. You've got several more months of waiting for those snuggles. But I will put you at the top of the snuggle list."

"Deal!" Lorelai agreed.

"Drive safe! I love you!" Rory smiled, then ended the call.

"You two have the most bizarre conversations!"

"Yeah, well, get used to it because I'm sure they are only about to get weirder."

"How is that even possible?"

"I've heard about women calling their mothers to ask about their baby's poop being the correct color."

"Something to look forward to."

"See, I would think that you would know the answer to that one."

"Why, because I've had a baby before?"

"Hello, you're a doctor!"

"I'm not a pediatrician though. I would think that as long as it looks like poop, it isn't too runny, and doesn't have blood in it, then you're fine."

"Maybe you should study up on that one."

"Sure babe, I'll run out and study up on all things baby poop."

"It actually might be a good idea."

"I'll tell you what, when I go to my yearly training seminar next month, I'll made sure to catch the pediatrics lecture."

"That is actually a really great idea! Where is this seminar again?"

"Philadelphia."

"Did I know about this?"

"It's on the calendar."

"Am I going with you?"

"If you want to, but you might be bored to death. I was thinking that you would have more fun staying with your Mom in the Hollow. Or you could go stay with Richard and Emily."

"Do I have to go stay somewhere? Why can't I just stay home?"

"You can stay home if you want to. That is completely fine. I just want someone with you, to help out in case you need it."

"I want to argue with you about me being a big girl, and being perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"But?"

"I know that you are super protective of Ayribella and I because you love us, and you want what is best for us."

"That's right."

"But I really want to argue with you right now because I'm pregnant and hormonal, and I feel like ripping into someone."

"Hey Doyle?" Logan said, pushing a button on the phone sitting on Rory's desk.

"What's up?"

"Would you mind sending Sylvester in? Rory is hormonal and feeling bitchy, and she needs someone to lash out at, who isn't me."

"Sounds like there are going to be some fireworks. I'll bring snacks."

"Thanks Doyle!"

"You're mean!" Rory laughed.

"Not to you."

"That was mean."

"You need a target."

"So you're involving an innocent bystander?"

"Innocent? Are you kidding me?!"

"I'm hormonal and bitchy, and you just asked Doyle to send some random person in for me to yell at. That was mean!"

"Some random person? Are you serious right now?"

"You just want me to take my rage out on someone that isn't you!"

"That's right."

"That's mean!"

"How is it mean?"

"To purposely invite an innocent bystander into my rage filled arena, that's mean!"

"It's not mean, it's Huntzberger."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It's what the Huntzbergers do. You're feeling bitchy and you need someone to yell at, so you find someone who deserves it, and you use them as your personal verbal punching bag. It's not mean, it's Huntzberger."

"Logan!"

"I don't understand why you are upset right now in the first place. You were perfectly happy less than a minute ago."

"Because I'm pregnant and hormonal, and it's entirely all your fault!"

"MY fault?! How is it MY fault? I do remember you being a very willing participant."

"Because it's your fault! Because you're you, and your gorgeous, and you have that ridiculously stupid look on your face that drives me crazy. And I really just want to yell at you right now!"

"Yeah, I'm not ok with that. I don't like being yelled at. If I wanted someone to yell at me, I would go visit my Dad."

"Your Dad is self-centered jerk!"

"Well, at least we can agree on something." Logan laughed as there was a knock at the door. "Come on in!"

"Sylvester is here." Doyle said opening the door. "What did you do to piss her off?"

"I wish I knew. Apparently I was born or something." Logan shrugged.

"I have chocolate."

"She's going to need more than that."

"Cappuccino is being delivered."

"Good call. Go ahead and bring Sylvester in."

"Can I watch?"

"It's probably going to be loud."

"Please, I live with Paris." Doyle said walking back toward the waiting room to bring Sylvester in.

"Your target has arrived." Logan said sarcastically as he took a seat on the corner of Rory's desk, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You really suck! You know that, right?!" Rory said with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah, but you love that I do." he chuckled.

"What is this?! Since when are jeans appropriate business attire?" Sylvester asked as Doyle escorted him into the room.

"Oh geez!" Doyle commented, immediately putting his hands up in surrender.

"Get ready Doyle." Logan said softly with a giant smirk on his face, as Dole walked over to stand next to him, and pulled a couple bags of gummy bears out of his pocket, handing one to his co-conspirator.

"Sylvester, Doyle tells us that you called several times early this morning." Rory started.

"Since when are jeans appropriate in the office? This is a very important business, you know?!" Sylvester stated.

"Since when is what I wear any of your business?!" Rory asked.

"Jeans are NOT appropriate business attire!"

"What do you want Sylvester?"

"Are you going to answer my question?"

"Why don't you answer mine? I am your boss, you know?!"

"When did the corporate dress code change?"

"First of all Sylvester, I don't think you realize who you are speaking to. But last time I checked, no one died and left you in charge! I will wear whatever the hell I want to wear in MY office, and there isn't a single damn thing that you can do about it! And second, I'm the CEO of this company, AND your boss. So I suggest that you cut the attitude and start showing me some respect, or I'll just terminate your contract with us, right now!"

"HPG has a dress code!"

"Which applies to employees, aka, YOU! So until you start making the big bucks, and your name is the one on the company letter head, and signing everyone's paycheck, I suggest that you learn to mind your own damn business!"

"Not like it's any of your business, but it's moving day. We are moving things around and setting up the clinic downstairs. And last time I checked, even you don't wear a suit on moving day." Logan commented as he opened his bag of gummy bears, and popped one in his mouth.

"Says the doctor, who is eating children's sugary snacks." Sylvester snapped.

"Wow, you picked a REALLY bad day!" Logan chuckled.

"Sylvester, what do you want?" Rory asked getting more irritated as she stood there.

"Are you going to let your wife speak to me like this?"

"Actually, I am." Logan told him. "Rory can handle herself. Plus, she's the boss, so I don't really get a say in how she speaks to you. Or anyone else for that matter. But I do suggest that you watch how you speak to her, because not only will I allow her to handle you however she wants, but whenever she finally decides that she is done with you, you'll have me to deal with next. And if you think that Rory has a bad attitude, just wait until you see what happens to people who cross my wife."

"You two are a match made in hell!"

"Why thank you! It's kind of you to notice."

"What do you want Sylvester?" Rory asked again.

"I don't think it's appropriate for Logan to be running the employee clinic."

"Oh really?! Since when?"

"It's a conflict of interest."

"How?"

"Logan is an employee."

"And?"

"An employee should not be running the employee clinic."

"Let me get this straight . . ." Rory started. "You are telling me that an employee of HPG should not be running the Huntzberger clinic that is paid for by HPG, and located inside of the HPG corporate headquarters."

"That is correct. It's a conflict of interest."

"Are you freaking kidding me?! Get out of my office!"

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me! Get out of my office!"

"So you are just going to allow all of us employees to have our personal medical records to fall into the hands of another employee?"

"I am providing all of MY employees with a licensed medical professional, located right here on the premises, who's salary is paid in part from company funds, to treat them for a much lower cost than they would be paying should they choose to go elsewhere, all while being seen by said license medical professional, during the work day, all while they themselves remain on the clock, AND receiving a paycheck! So no, I don't see how that is at all a conflict of interest! If the New York state medical board says that my husband is licensed to practice medicine, and Columbia University says that he is qualified to run one of their company medical clinics, then I don't see where anyone else gets to have an opinion. Especially not someone like you! Now, I suggest that unless you would like to discuss me buying your shares of HPG stock, you take your crappy attitude, and get the hell out of my office! And I also strongly suggest that you change said crappy attitude, because I am on the verge of firing you for insubordination!"

"You can't fire me."

"Oh really?! Want to watch me do it?! Push me! I dare you!" Rory said crossing her arms over her chest.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Logan chuckled.

"You can't fire a shareholder." Sylvester told her.

"You think that. But in your contract it actually states that firing an employee who happens to be a shareholder automatically means that said employee forfeits their shares of company stock."

"It doesn't say that."

"Have you read your contract? Because I have."

"You can't fire a shareholder."

"What part of get the hell out of my office do you not understand?!" Rory said slowly but very strongly.

"I suggest you clean out your desk." Logan told him.

"Who the hell do you think you are?! You can't fire me either!" Sylvester told him.

"Get out!" Rory shouted.

"Doyle." Logan said setting his gummy bears down, getting up from where he was perched on Rory's desk, and stepping in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I don't know who the hell you think that you two are."

"Clean out your desk." Rory sneered. "You're done here!"

"Let's go Sylvester." Doyle said reaching for his arm to escort him out of the office.

"Do not touch me!" Sylvester protested.

"Doyle, call security." Logan instructed him, locking eyes with the defiant man in front of him. "And bring me his termination paperwork."

"Yes Sir!" Doyle answered, reaching into his pocket for his phone, and quickly dialing a number. "I need a security team sent to the CEO office immediately please." Doyle said, then ended the call, watching as Logan continued to stare down Sylvester. Doyle quickly dialed another number and waited for the call to connect. "Hi, it's Doyle. I need you at HPG immediately. No, I need you NOW!" he said, then ended the call, and moved to use the desk top computer sitting behind Rory's desk.

Two minutes later two large security team members stormed into Rory's office.

"Mrs. Huntzberger, what's going on?" one of them asked.

"I need you to escort Sylvester to his desk, and get it cleaned out. Make sure he's off the property within twenty minutes, and bring me his company ID please."

"I'll have his termination paperwork delivered to his desk." Logan added as the two security guards reached for Sylvester's arms. "And if he refuses go ahead a do a citizen's arrest."

"Yes Sir!" The second security team member answered.

"Let's go Mr. Huntzberger." the first man said tugging on Sylvester's office. "You heard the orders."

"Your father will be hearing about this!" Sylvester protested.

"Not from you he won't!" Logan laughed, watching as Sylvester was escorted out of the office, and the door closed behind them.

"Rory, I need your signature." Doyle said pulling a stack of papers off the printer behind her desk as Rory burst into tears.

"Come here." Logan said calmly as he turned to face his wife, and held his arms out toward her.

"Collin is on his way. I'll leave the termination paperwork right here for you." Doyle said a moment later as he reached for a highlighter, and quickly highlighted where Rory's signature was needed. "I'll be back with your chocolate and a cappuccino as soon as it's delivered."

"Thanks Doyle." Logan said as he held his crying wife.

"Everything is going to be fine Rory. You got what you wanted. Sylvester is gone."

"And she got to yell at someone who wasn't me. I call this a double win!"

"Let me know if you need anything else."

"Thanks." Rory sniffled as Doyle patted her back, then left the office.

"You wanted someone to yell at." Logan said softly as he rubbed Rory's back to calm her down.

"But I wanted to yell at you."

"I gave you a better, more productive target."

"I should hate you right now." Rory said with another sniffle, trying to take a deep breath in an effort to calm herself.

"You could never hate me, and you know it. I'm really proud of you."

"For what?"

"For getting rid of my grandfather's idiotic brother." Logan chuckled. "Jerk is older than dirt and a royal pain in my ass! You handled that amazingly well."

"I want to punch him in the face."

"And he'll probably have us both charged with assault if you do."

"He can't charge you for assault if I'm the one who hits him."

"No, but if you hit him, I'll have to finish the job because he pissed my wife off enough to make her attack him. I won't let you go down alone."

"Doyle called Collin."

"Collin is the one who drew up the termination paperwork. I had him take care of it for me after the end of the year board meeting. Collin told us to call when it happens. He figured it would get ugly."

"Collin is pretty smart."

"That's why I allow you to keep him around." Rory said sniffling and wiping at her eyes as she slowly pulled away from Logan. "My makeup is all messed up now."

"You look beautiful." Logan said giving her a gentle smile, as he wiped some smeared mascara from under her eyes.

"I probably look like a racoon.

"No you don't."

"I'm crying over firing someone."

"No, you're crying over my uncle being an asshole to you."

"I feel stupid."

"You're not stupid. You're pregnant and hormonal. But hey, you just channeled those crazy hormones into being very productive. That was an awesome performance!"

"I can't believe you guys had gummy bears."

"That was all Doyle." Logan chuckled.

"He knows me way too well."

"You've spent way more time with him and Paris over the years than I ever will."

* ~ * ~ * ~ * 15 Minutes later * ~ * ~ * ~ *

"Alright, who did you kill?" Collin asked, walking into Rory's office 15 minutes later. "And how much is bail going to be?"

"I didn't do anything!" Logan laughed as he sat with his feet up on the desk while Rory sat next to him, fixing her makeup.

"Doyle called demanding that I show up here immediately."

"Rory got in a fight."

"Rory got in a fight? Sweet, innocent, soft spoken, keeps us pathetic losers out of jail Rory, got in a fight? With who?!"

"My uncle."

"Did she at least win?"

"Do you really think that I would be sitting here fixing my makeup if I had lost?" Rory asked.

"You cried, didn't you?"

"Not until after Logan had security escort the asshole out."

"Rory just cussed at me!" Collin said, completely shocked by what he had just heard.

"She didn't cuss at you. She's upset at the situation." Logan told him.

"So you had security escort the guy out?"

"We had to have him removed from this office. He's probably still cleaning out his desk downstairs."

"What did you fire him for?"

"Being a royal pain in the ass" Rory answered.

"That's not a legal reason."

"His paperwork says insubordination. Rory said you drafted it."

"She asked me to draft termination paperwork for her to fire someone for being an asshole to her a few weeks ago. I had her give me some examples of what the guy had done, and that was the legal reasoning I came up with."

"So we need you to deliver it to him."

"What's in it for me?"

"The crap load of money I pay you to take care of shit like this." Logan told him, giving his friend a questioning look.

"I want a raise!"

"And I want an attorney who does his job and gets this asshole off my property before I have to fire somebody else today!" Rory told him.

"Those are fighting words!" Collin laughed as he took the paperwork Logan held out to him.

"Someone is hormonal today."

"Where is the jerk?"

"Third floor. Have Doyle take you."

"And after that?"

"Meet us downstairs in the clinic office. We need help."

"Help from your attorney?"

"Help from my best friend."

"I really need to start charging you for friendship services."

"I already over pay you for legal services. You're welcome!" Rory said rolling her eyes as she zipped up her purse and tucked it back into her desk drawer.

"Don't make her start singing!"

"Singing what?"

"The Moana song."

"Yeah, let's not. I get more than enough of that at home, thank you very much!"

"We'll see you downstairs." Logan laughed as Collin turned and headed out of the office to find Doyle.

A few minutes later Collin and Doyle walked into the small office Sylvester occupied on the third floor to see four security officers standing in different places throughout the room.

"Mr. Mc Master, Mr. McCrae." the head of security greeted as they entered.

"Mr. Huntzberger, I am Attorney Collin McCrae of the Law Offices of McCrae and Associates. I have your termination paperwork that I need you to sign."

"They can't fire me. Mitchum is in charge here. NOT his son! And certainly not that girl that he married!" Sylvester laughed.

"Actually, on the contrary, New York is an at will employment state. Are you aware of what that means?"

"I'm sure that you are about to tell me anyway."

"It means that without a restricting contract, Rory can fire you for any reason at all, including that she doesn't like the color of your eyes."

"I have a contract."

"Your contract is over 20 years old, and it's also null and void. I read over your contract. You are in breach. And according to Mrs. Huntzberger, you were to be off of this premises within twenty minutes, of which time you are currently 5 minutes over. I suggest that you sign this paperwork right here on the designated line where it says your name, quickly gather your things, and leave the property at once. You are currently trespassing, and I have every right to have you arrested should I choose to do so."

"So Rory is firing me because she doesn't like the color of my eyes?"

"No, Rory is firing you for insubordination. You have been have been a completely inconsiderate, disrespectful, self-righteous jerk since the day Rory took over as CEO, and frankly, I am surprised that she has put up with you for this long. I've known Rory for a long time, and never once has she tolerated such a bad attitude, and blatant disrespect. The only reason that you have continued to be employed here is because you are family. However, your days have been numbered for months, and you've now more than pushed the limits of our patience. Sign your name and get the hell out before I have you arrested!"

"You won't have me arrested. I'm 80 years old. No cop will arrest me."

"Wanna bet? I'll call them right now. Sign your name and get out!" Collin repeated. "You are trespassing on private property."

"I have worked in this building for over 40 years."

"Does it look like I care?" Collin asked, while trying not to laugh.

"I'll be calling your Father, Andrew. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear all about how his son threatened an old man."

"Again, does it look like I care?! You can call my Father all you'd like! I'll even give you the number! Take your crap and get out!" Collin said as two uniformed police officers entered the office.

"Mr. Huntzberger, you have one minute to exit this office, and make your way out of the building, or you will be arrested for trespassing on private property." One of the officers spoke up.

"Sign the paperwork, take your crap, and get out!" Collin repeated.

"You children have zero respect for your elders!" Sylvester said as he stood from his chair.

"You can sign your name right now, or I will have a judge force you to sign in court, after I have you held without bail."

"I'm signing under duress."

"I don't give a damn if you sign while wearing a dress! Just sign the papers, and get the hell off the property!"

"Where is my severance pay?"

"You've been fired! You don't get any severance pay! You don't get a damn thing when you're fired except maybe to not be arrested, but that is only if you get the hell out of here in the next 30 seconds!"

"I am entitled to severance pay."

"You are entitled to nothing more than a slap in the face and a kick in the butt at this point. Mr. Huntzberger, I am done arguing with you. This is just plain harassment at this point. I am only going to say this one more time, and then am going to have these fine officers here escort you out in handcuffs, put you in their shiny police cruisers, and escort you to your holding cell at their lovely incarceration establishment. And if I do so, you will not only be charged with trespassing, but I will have it upgraded to criminal trespassing, and also have you charged with harassment, intimidation, slander, criminal threat, and resisting arrest. You are already 80 years old. Don't push me, or I will make sure that you spend the rest of your miserable life behind bars, and never again see the light of day. SIGN THE PAPERS AND GET OUT! NOW!" Collin said sternly, as he stared Sylvester directly in the eye.

"Let's go Mr. Huntzberger!" the police officer said, stepping up next to Collin as he stood directly in front of Sylvester. "Grab your things. You are trespassing on private property. It is time for you to leave."

"This is the most disgustingly disrespectful thing that anyone has ever done!" Sylvester said loudly as he signed his name on the paperwork Collin had set on the desk, then threw his pen down, causing it to bounce off the desk and drop onto the floor.

"Would you like to be charged with destruction of property as well?" Collin asked. "Take your things, and leave! Officers, here is a copy of his termination paperwork. He is allowed to take only his personal belongings, meaning his coat, and the pictures from this desk. Anything else is company property, and he will be criminally charged for taking it. Steven, Fred," Collin said as he turned to look at the two head security officers for HPG. "I expect you to notify me immediately if Mr. Huntzberger attempts to pilfer anything that isn't his. No files, no documents, no office supplies, no computers, no nothing. His coat and his personal pictures. That's it! Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes Sir!" Steven answered.

"Yes Mr. McCrae." Fred echoed.

"I'll see you all at the door downstairs." Collin told them, then turned and left the office.


	53. Chapter 53

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! I am so glad you guys are loving this story! Your kind words mean a lot to me. Thank you so much! I am trying to write as much as I can, but we are moving soon, so things may start to slow down when I have to start packing up my house. I should have at least a couple more weeks before that starts though. I'll let you know.

* * *

"What the hell took so long?!" Logan asked as Collin walked into the clinic office where he was unpacking boxes with Rory.

"He's still not gone yet."

"Are you freaking kidding me!?" Rory asked.

"You weren't kidding about him being a disrespectful prick!"

"So where is he now?" Logan asked.

"There are 4 of our security officers and 2 from NYPD escorting him out."

"Under different circumstances that would be a photo opp."

"Right?!" Collin laughed. "What am I supposed to be helping you with?"

"Everything! We have a furniture delivery coming, and more office supplies."

"My mom and Dad are on their way."

"You pulled the Daddy card to get him to bring his tool box and put everything together for you."

"Well duh! Who did you think was going to put everything together? Certainly NOT the two of you!"

"Hey, I know how to build furniture!" Collin protested.

"Of course you do! You know how to hire a handyman!"

"Exactly!"

"I would offer to call stooge number 3 to come help, but Doyle reminded us earlier that with OSHA coming for an inspection at any time, we could be completely shut down for drinking while at work, so we need to keep the alcohol out of the building."

"I would definitely advise that. OSHA is a hard fight to win. When are they supposed to be coming?"

"Thursday. But Doyle said they tend to show up whenever they want to."

"Which probably means they'll be here sometime mid-day Wednesday, if not tomorrow."

"Great! Something to look forward to."

"It's actually good news. If they show up tomorrow, they'll do a preliminary inspection and tell you everything that is wrong with the office, and everything that needs to be fixed, then schedule a time to come back Thursday to do a final inspection. Then on Thursday, they'll show up 2 hours early. But at least you'll know exactly what needs to be fixed, and none of the stuff on the preliminary inspection will actually count against you unless it's one of their extreme no no items, in which case you are completely screwed no matter what you do."

"Do you have a copy of that list?"

"I do actually. I'll have it faxed over." Collin said as he reached into his pocket for his cell phone. "Hey, it looks like your jailbird is coming out."

"Someone help me up!" Rory said holding her hands out for one of the guys to help her up from her spot on the floor. Logan pulled his wife up, then followed her to the clinic door where they watched Sylvester being escorted out of the building.

"Fred! Follow him out of the parking garage." Logan said as the security team passed by the office door. "I want to make sure he's completely gone, and off the property."

"I'm on it."

"Doctor Huntzberger, here is Mr. Huntzberger's company ID and security card." one of the other security officers said, holding the two cards out of Logan.

"Will you give them to Doyle for me? Have him put them on Rory's desk."

"No problem, Sir."

"Thank you for your help today, James."

"You actually know my name?" the security officer asked, completely surprised that Logan had used his name.

"I'm not my Dad. I make it a point to know everyone in this building. You've also been here for several years."

"I had no idea that you knew any of that."

"I make it a point know who everyone is. Especially the valuable employees. Thank you for everything that you do for us."

"You are very welcome Sir. Thank you and your wife for being so gracious."

"It's our pleasure. Hey, would you mind sending Carlos in to see me when he has a few minuets?"

"I'd be happy to. I'll track him down right now." James said, reaching for his radio microphone that was clipped to his security jacket. "Carlos, what is your location? Alright, Doctor Huntzberger asked for you to stop by the clinic office to speak with him when you have a free moment . . . Thanks, I'll let him know." James answered. "Carlos will be right out. He's in the camera office."

"Thanks James. Oh, Rory's Dad is on his way here with his tool box to help us build furniture. Please don't let anyone give him a hard time and insist on searching his tools. Just wave him and Lorelai through, and send them in here."

"Rory's Mom is coming?"

"Yes, both her Mom and Dad."

"Rory's mother is gorgeous! All the guys think so."

"Yes, she is. Rory definitely has some great genes." Logan smiled.

"I'll send them in when they get here. If you guys need extra help, I'm pretty good at doing furniture assembly. I'm happy to help."

"I'll let Carlos know that he's free to send you in if he doesn't need you. Thank you James."

"You're welcome, Sir." James said, then walked away, and went back to doing his job.

"Oh James, one more thing . . ."

"Yes Sir?"

"I know there is a movie shooting in the area. This week, if you happen to see Dwayne Johnson shooting nearby, and Lorelai is here, see if you can convince him to come say hi. Lorelai will love you forever!"

"Lorelai is a Rock fan?"

"She calls him her boyfriend."

"I'll see what I can do."

"I appreciate it."

"I need donuts." Rory announced as she headed back inside the office with Logan.

"So go get some." Collin told her.

"Excuse me, what?"

"If you want donuts, go get them. There's a shop around the corner."

"Collin, she's pregnant. Did you really just say that to her?" Logan asked, seeing the look on his wife's face.

"Rory, I'm sorry. You know my smart ass mouth. I didn't mean it like it came out. I'm just an asshole." Collin apologized.

"You really are." Rory agreed, pulling her phone out of her back pocket. "Hey Doyle? I need a preggo favor. Collin is an asshole!"

"What do you need?" Doyle asked.

"Donuts."

"I'm on it. Give me a few minutes, ok?"

"I love you Doyle. You're my favorite person in the entire world!" Rory said shooting a look at Collin.

"Tell Doyle he can take my card." Collin spoke up.

"Doyle has a company card." Logan told him. "And I heard that you are buying lunch."

"That works."

"We also have an account with the donut shop."

"That's probably smart."

"Hey Babe, do you think the donut shop will deliver for us?" Rory asked.

"They might. We can always ask. The worst thing they can tell us, is no."

"Hey Doyle, while you're there, ask them if we can get delivery."

"That's a great idea. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you! You're the greatest!" she chirped as she ended the call, and went back to where she was unpacking a box on the floor.

"Rory, would you like a chair? I'm sure we can get you one."

"Thanks, but I'm ok right now. There is a ton of furniture being delivered, and I don't want anything extra in the way, or for anything to get confused with clinic stuff and lost."

"I already tried to get her to sit somewhere more comfortable." Logan told him.

"Hey Collin?"

"Yeah?"

"You're coming on Friday, right?"

"Of course I am! And I'll be here Thursday to help out with the inspections."

"What about Stephanie?"

"Valerie is going to Grandma's house Wednesday night, so we are all yours for whatever you need."

"Oh, that's awesome! We have so much to do this week, it's' crazy!"

"Do you want me to call Finn and Robert to come help?"

"I don't know . . . Do you think they'll actually help, or do you think they'll mess around?"

"They'll mess around. I wouldn't bother. Luke is on his way. We'll be fine." Logan told her.

"Doctor Huntzberger, you have a delivery." James said walking into the office carrying a large box.

"Thanks James. Let's open this side door, and everything can come in directly from the street rather than being carried through the building."

"Give me a second before you open it, I need to verify the alarm is off." James said reaching for his microphone controller again. "Camera office, I need access to the exterior clinic door. Yes, go ahead and disable the alarm. There are deliveries coming through. Thank you, I'll let you know when it can be rearmed."

"Such a high tech business you have here." Collin said as he stood watching James.

"Comes with the billion dollar company." Logan shrugged.

"You had no idea the door was alarmed." Rory told him.

"None at all!" Logan chuckled as James unlocked the door, and pushed it open.

"Any door that isn't open with security standing next to it, is alarmed."

"How do you know?"

"Because Carlos told me that when I first took over this place."

"So what you're telling me is that the clinic will have its own security for this door?"

"If you're going to have it open, my guess is yes."

"It's probably safer to have everyone go through the metal detectors."

"That would be why we have them. Hey Carlos? Can I get a couple security badges?" Rory asked as the head of security walked through the door.

"Sure, who do you need?"

"My Mom and Dad are coming to help with everything this week. I was just thinking that it might be easier to just give them their own badge."

"What about me?" Collin asked.

"No, I don't like you."

"Mr. McCrae, we all know you." Carlos told him.

"Collin can have one too."

"Collin, I can get you one right away. Rory, let me know when your parents get here, and I'll take them to get pictures and thumb prints. Is that all you guys need?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Friday." Logan spoke up.

"Sure. What can I do for you? I have us fully staffed for all day Friday, and an extra outside security team coming to help with crowd control."

"I just want to be sure that we are ready for complete chaos. This is the first event we've had since Rory and I took over, and this is really the first time that everyone will know that Rory is pregnant. We obviously can't really hide it anymore now that she's showing."

"It doesn't exactly look like just a food baby anymore." Rory laughed, placing her hands on her growing stomach.

"I have a feeling that things are going to get just as insane as they did when we first took over, and then got married."

"No problem, I'll take care of it. Everything will be fine. You guys have nothing to worry about." Carlos assured them. "Would you like security added to your home?"

"We live in a gated community."

"Like that makes a difference." Carlos chuckled. "Get me the information for your HOA, and I'll take care of everything."

"I think my sister might be on the board."

"Would you like me to call her?"

"Do it." Collin told him. "Mitchum lives with Honor, so you'll definitely need to beef up the neighborhood.

"I hate having security following me around." Logan told them.

"I'll instruct everyone to try to be more discrete. Well take it day by day. Once things calm down, and go back to normal, we'll dial back the protection. But I do think it's best, for the safety of your wife and child, to add extra protection." Carlos told him.

"My sister is pregnant too."

"So we'll add protection for her, and Mr. Rothschild as well. I'll take care of everything."

"And I need security at my parents' house in Hartford as well. No one has been living there in months, but I have a cleaning crew coming once a week, and the alarm company is keeping an eye on the cameras."

"I'll send a team there as well. Do you think Rory's parents need anyone?"

"My parents live in a super tiny town. They were just fine last time, I'm pretty sure they'll be fine this time too. Plus, they'll be with us through the weekend." Rory told him.

"Let me know if that changes."

"I will. Thank you Carlos."

"I'm sending someone to keep an eye on this door while it's open."

"Thanks Carlos." Logan said as Carlos left the office, and radioed for another security officer to man the open office door.

"Damn this place is fancy!" Collin chuckled. "You basically have your own secret service."

"Except that they don't have machine guns." Rory told him.

"But they could!"

"Carlos gives the roof crew sniper rifles for events."

"Even if the events aren't ours." Logan confirmed. "Any nearby events, and our crew gets sniper rifles, just in case."

"I always wanted a sniper rifle. Can I come play security detail for you guys one day?"

"No offense Collin, but every one of our security guys is twice your size."

"Hey, I've tried to bulk up. It's not my fault I was born this way."

"If it makes you feel any better, Logan isn't getting any bigger either."

"I'm almost twice as big as Collin though." Logan laughed.

"This is true." Rory agreed.

"It never mattered how much Collin worked out, or even ate. He never gains weight. He's like you. He can shovel food and alcohol into his hollow leg, and never gain an ounce."

"What can I say, it's a talent!" Rory said with a shrug.

"Rory has only gained 5 pounds so far, and she's almost halfway through her pregnancy."

"Stephanie is going to completely hate you! She gained like 50 pounds, and twenty of it was right away." Collin told them.

"Stephanie knows that I take after my mom though, so she probably expects me to not gain anything."

"Good point." Collin agreed as large boxes started coming through the door.

"Where do you want these?" one of the delivery guys asked.

"Doesn't matter, pick a place." Logan told him.

*~ * ~ * ~ * 2 Hours Later * ~ * ~ * ~ *

"Loin Fruit!" Lorelai cheered as she walked through the door to the clinic, and saw her daughter sitting on the floor in the corner, surrounded by boxes.

"Hey Mom!"

"Do you need help getting up? Which one of these evil boys made you sit in the corner? And on the floor?"

"Hey, she chose that spot herself!" Collin defended himself, giving Lorelai a quick hug.

"Hey Collin. It's nice to see you again."

"You too Lorelai."

"Hey, if you help me up, we'll take a quick field trip." Rory said holding her arms out toward Lorelai.

"A field trip? I hope we're going somewhere fun!"

"We are going to the security office to get you and Dad finger printed and photographed."

"Why?"

"Because I decided that it was time you two had your own security badges."

"So after all these years, we've finally earned your trust?"

"Something like that." Rory said as Lorelai helped her up. "Thanks for coming Dad. I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem Sweetie. I'm happy to help." Luke said as Rory gave him a hug.

"You really have grown in the last few weeks." Lorelai said as she reached her hand out to rub Rory's stomach.

"I told you so!"

"Hi baby girl! It's Nana and Pappa! We love you! Luke, say hi to your granddaughter."

"Hi Ayribella. You sure are growing in there." Luke said quickly rubbing Rory's stomach as instructed.

"She's getting bigger every day." Lorelai said excitedly.

"Logan, where do you want me to start?" Luke asked.

"Why don't you run to the security office with Rory, and then once you get your badges, you can come help me, and we'll send the girl to get us lunch."

"Good deal! We'll be back then." Lorelai said as Luke set his tool box down in the corner, then followed Rory out the door.

"Rory, April wanted me to ask you what time she needs to be here on Friday for Logan's party. She isn't sure she can make it for the office opening, but she's going to jump on the train right after school." Luke said as he followed Rory through the building.

"Whenever she can get here is fine. I'll have someone pick her up whenever she gets here."

"Is there anything else that you need for Logan's party?" Lorelai asked.

"I will call Stephanie while we go grab lunch. I actually don't know of anything, but we'll find out. I have Stephanie and Honor taking care of all of that for me."

"You didn't have to have your friends take care of Logan's party. I could have done it. I can handle more than one event at a time, you know?"

"I know that, but I didn't want to overwhelm you, or risk Logan finding out about it, so I had honor and Stephanie take over everything. But we are going to have a little problem."

"What's that?"

"The press is about to find out that I'm pregnant."

"So big paparazzi party then!"

"Pretty much! We are getting extra security though, so we should be ok." Rory said as she knocked on the door to the security office, which immediately opened.

"Hey Rory."

"Hey Carlos, you remember my parents, right?"

"I do. It's nice to see you both again." Carlos said shaking both of their hands.

"Hey Carlos, about the extra security this weekend . . . Logan's birthday is on Friday, and we are throwing him a surprise party."

"I actually just talked to Mrs. Rothschild about that. You will have guards at the door, and throughout the property."

"Thank you. I'm sorry, I didn't want to say anything in front of Logan."

"It's ok, I completely understand. I will be there myself, just to make sure everything runs smoothly."

"You are amazing! Thank you!"

"It's my pleasure." Carlos told her. "Mrs. Danes, let's get your thumbprint registered. Come right over here." he said holding his arm out toward a machine in the corner of the office.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look like my boyfriend The Rock?" Lorelai asked.

"Did Rory tell you that The Rock is filming down the street all week?"

"She did not. She only told me that she saw him at the coffee shop this morning."

"Maybe you and I will have to talk a walk a little later."

"YES!" Lorelai said excitedly. "I would LOVE that!"

"I'll make a call and get everything arranged. Dwayne and I are old friends."

"You're lying!"

"I'm not. I've known him for years. I used to be part of his security detail."

"No way! That is so cool! My partner at work has the goal of having Jennifer Lawrence come stay at our Inn next time she's in town."

"Well, why don't we go introduce you to Dwayne today, and maybe you can give him your card, and then he can come stay with you too."

"Oh my gosh, that would be amazing! Do you think that he would?"

"Yeah, definitely! I loved it when I stayed there last month.

"Oh that's right, you were at our Christmas party, weren't you?"

"I was. I wanted to say thank you before we left the next day, but you weren't there."

"Sorry, I was exhausted so I slept in that day."

"I don't blame you. You were there pretty late."

"Thank you so much for bringing your team in to help. We never needed security in the past, but all of a sudden our crazy town selectman decided that it was necessary, and I had no idea who to call."

"It's not a problem at all. I am happy to help. You can call me any time. In fact, if things get crazy for you with the pregnancy announcement this weekend, here is my personal cell phone number. You call me right away, ok? I'll get a full team out to your town." Carlos said as he handed Lorelai his business card.

"Do you really think that's necessary?" Luke asked.

"Luke, do you remember the pictures I showed you of the paparazzi when Rory's engagement happened?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, but that was at the Huntzberger mansion in Hartford."

"And they're married now."

"You never know with the paparazzi. I've learned to not underestimate them." Carlos told him. "Those camera guys are completely crazy. They would do just about anything to get the shot they're after. If they descend on your town, you call me, and I'll have a team there within an hour."

"Thank you Carlos." Lorelai smiled as she tucked the card into her purse.

"Alright Luke, let's get your thumbprint, then it's picture time for both of you."

"So random question." Rory started.

"What's that?" Carlos asked.

"Does the roof crew have rifles this week?"

"Every roof crew in the city has them. We aren't unique."

"So it's common to have sniper rifles on the roof?"

"This is New York City. If something is going to go down, it will most likely be here. The taller the building, the greater the risk of attack. However, having a roof crew gives us a good vantage point. Between and crew on the roof, and all of our cameras all over the place, we can see 100% of the building and neighborhood around us. I have 360 degree views of everything within about a mile radius of us. And from the roof, I can see further out."

"You guys have sniper rifles on the roof?" Lorelai asked in a shocked voice.

"Pretty much every skyscraper in the city has them. It became a common practice after 9/11."

"Were you here for that?" Rory asked.

"For 9/11? No, I wasn't. I'm not much older than you are. I was finishing up college when that happened, and going through the local police training academy where I lived in Los Angeles."

"You're from LA? Lorelai asked.

"I am. I grew up north of Hollywood."

"Is that where you met The Rock?"

"It is. After I finished the police training academy, I worked for the LAPD for two years before moving into private security."

"So you like doing private security better then?"

"I really do. It's more mellow, but also more entertaining. Literally. I don't have to deal with all the drama that the regular police deal with every day, and I get to be around bigger names, and go to a lot of fun events that I would never get to go near otherwise."

"When did you come to HPG?" Rory asked.

"I've been here for about five years, but I've only been head of security for the last two years."

"So personal opinion, who's a better boss, Mitchum or Rory?" Lorelai asked.

"This conversation doesn't leave this office . . ." Carlos chuckled. "I'll deny it ever happened. Definitely Rory!"

"I'm guessing everyone feels the same way." Luke commented.

"Pretty much. I've heard some grumblings, but they've all been from the older Huntzbergers who have been here since the beginning of the company, and don't like the younger generation much at all. But then again, most of them weren't particularly fond of Mitchum either. Having Rory and Logan in charge has been a breath of fresh air. Everyone around here is a lot more relaxed, and seems happier. One of my employees came to me a little while ago, completely shocked that Logan knows his name."

"Logan knows everybody's name." Rory told him. "I'm still learning, but I rely on name tags a lot. I know the important people. I think I know about half your crew."

"Mitchum didn't even know my name. He called my crew 'security guys'. Every one of them he identified as 'one of your guys'."

"See, I can at least read their names, and tell you who was involved in what."

"You and Logan make it a point to be polite to everyone. It takes you around a half hour to get from your car to your office because you stop to talk to everyone on your way. Mitchum never did that. People actually used to scatter before he walked into the building. As soon as his car hit the parking garage, one of my crew would announce his arrival over the radio, and the news spread like wildfire. It was like cockroaches scattering. I used to watch it on camera and just cringe. But with you guys, the announcement comes over the radio, and it's all smiles. No one drops anything they are doing unless they are rushing to talk to you about something. I've actually noticed the last few weeks, that my crew are the only ones who really care about your arrival anymore. I text Doyle to let him know that you've arrived on the property, but that is really the only announcement that goes out now."

"Which is why I was met at the elevator this morning." Rory mused.

"Do you want me to stop alerting him?"

"No, it's totally fine. I was just wondering how long he had been standing there waiting for me."

"I think it was only around 5 minutes. Can I ask you a question now?"

"Anything."

"Is there any news about when Mitchum will be coming back?"

"None. Mitchum is out until Logan and his team decide that he is fit to return. And if Logan and I have any say in it, he won't be back at all."

"That is the best news I've heard in months! Just in case something changes, will you let me know?"

"Of course! I'll be going out on maternity leave in May, but Logan will still be coming in every so often, and Doyle will of course be here. I'll be working from home a lot more."

"I will make sure to beef up your personal security when that happens."

"You take really good care of us."

"Well you've been a pleasure to work for. Alright, Luke and Lorelai, let's get these pictures done, so we can get you out of here."

"Carlos, do you happen to know what streets are blocked off right now? I need to figure out lunch."

"You can only go three blocks to the west. Everything is blocked off after that. They roped off about two miles in all directions."

"So we can't get to the Chinese place then?"

"Yoshi's?"

"That's the one."

"They're blocked off by the film set. The restaurant is being used as a holding area. I think they're helping with the catering."

"Lucky ducks! That place is amazing!" Lorelai commented.

"Polly's Deli is open and will deliver."

"Polly's delivers?" Rory asked.

"For me they do. My niece works there. If you want to go down there, I'll go with you and get them to set you up with an account."

"That would be great! I'll probably eat there a lot more if they'll deliver."

"Most places around here will deliver if you set up a corporate account."

"Good to know."

"Mitchum used to have burgers and steak delivered from Barney's."

"Luke's burgers are better."

"You make good burgers Luke?" Carlos asked.

"I have a restaurant in Stars Hollow." Luke answered.

"Luke's diner. It's amazing!" Lorelai told him. "Best coffee on the east coast!"

"Best everything!" Rory added. "Luke cooks for us whenever he comes to visit. My freezer is always full of his cooking. All I have to do is pick a meal and heat it up."

"That is awesome! You are here so much that I'm sure having meals ready to go is really helpful. Alright Luke, on the count of three . . . One, two, three." Carlos said as the camera flashed. "Lorelai, it's your turn. Switch places with Luke."

**~ * ~ * ~ * Ten Minutes later – Huntzberger Clinic Office * ~ * ~ * ~ ***

"Hey Logan, I don't have my purse down here, can I borrow your card?" Rory asked as she walked back into the clinic with her parents."

"What card?"

"Bank card, credit card, whatever."

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Mom and I are taking a walk down to Polly's with Carlos."

"It's January and twenty degrees outside. You're going to need your coat."

"Actually, I was hoping to borrow Collin's since it's sitting here. Collin, do you mind?"

"Rory, you can take mine." Luke said as he shrugged his coat off.

"That works! Thanks Daddy!" Rory smiled as Luke helped her get the coat on and zipped up.

"You're going to Polly's?" Logan asked.

"Carlos says his niece works there and they'll deliver for him, so he's going down with us to set up an account so we can get delivery too. He also said that most restaurants in the area will deliver if you set up a corporate account."

"Most places even not in the area will deliver for corporate accounts." Logan said as he handed over his black American Express card.

"You have a black AmEx?!" Lorelai asked.

"I've had it since I was like 15." he shrugged.

"Your life is so different."

"Carlos is going with you?"

"Yep. We're walking."

"Please be careful."

"I'll take good care of her. I promise!" Lorelai told him.

"Any requests?" Rory asked.

"Club sandwich and maybe some soup." Logan told her.

"Collin?"

"Whatever is fine." Collin answered.

"Same for me." Luke told her. "You guys be safe."

"We will." Lorelai said as she linked her arm through Rory's.

"Are you ladies ready?" Carlos asked as he walked in the clinic door a moment later.

"Please be careful. Watch for patches of ice." Logan said giving Rory a kiss.

"I'll take care of them." Carlos told him.

"We'll be fine. We'll be back with food." Rory told him, then turned to head out of the office with her mom.

"We have one additional stop to make while we're out." Carlos said as the trio walked through the HPG doors, and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"Where is that?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, a friend of mine is on a quick lunch break at the sushi place a block up from Polly's. I told him I would stop by to say hi real quick."

"Would this friend happen to look like you, but bald?"

"He might." Carlos answered. "You'll just have to wait to find out."


	54. Chapter 54

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

Current Mood: That super odd feeling when one of your close friends who happens to be the first person you ever loved gets married . . . I've been happily married for 8 years, and with my husband for 9. But damn . . . Even weirder thought, that relationship was literally 20 years ago. And now I feel really old! LOL

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! I am so glad you guys are loving this story! Your kind words mean a lot to me. Thank you so much! I'm not sure if I'll have a chapter to publish tomorrow or not. I have to drive 4 hours tomorrow afternoon, so we'll see how much I get done tonight, and if I can get anything done tomorrow.

* * *

**Thursday, February 2, 2017**

**Huntzberger Publishing Group**

**Corporate Office**

**10am**

"Good Morning Lorelai, it's nice to see you again." Carlos said as Lorelai walked through the office doors with Soookie.

"Hey Carlos! Do you need my badge?" Lorelai asked, as she pulled her security badge out of her purse.

"Just swipe it passed the box as you walk through the metal detectors. It will beep when it registers."

"You have a fancy security badge?" Sookie asked.

"I just got it the other day. Carlos, can I get a visitor's pass for my friend Sookie? She's catering the event tomorrow. We're here to get everything set up."

"Of course! Stop by the reception desk and they'll get you set up. She'll need a state ID."

"Thank you!" Lorelai smiled as she stepped up to the metal detectors, and handed her purse over to the security officer standing guard.

"Mrs. Danes, it's nice to see you again."

"Good morning Kelvin! There are cookies hiding in there for you."

"The cookies you asked me to make yesterday?" Sookie asked.

"I might have told Kelvin that I owed him cookies for helping me move some furniture the other day."

"You owe me nothing." Kelvin told her as he looked into her purse, then waved her through the machine.

"Sookie, he needs to check your purse. Kelvin, this is my best friend Sookie. She's catering the event tomorrow."

"It's nice to meet you Sookie." Kelvin said as he handed Lorelai back her purse, then took Sookie's. "Lorelai, don't forget to swipe your badge. And take Sookie to reception."

"Will do." Lorelai said as the box beeped next to her as she tapped her badge against it.

"Your daughter is in her office. Would you like me to let her know that you are here?"

"I actually texted her when we parked the car, but thank you. Here are your cookies."

"You owe me nothing."

"Oh you hush! They're delicious!" Lorelai said handed him the ziploc bag of chocolate chip cookies from her purse.

"Thank you Lorelai, you are very kind."

"Thank you for all of your help!"

"You be sure to let me know if you need anything today."

"I will. Thank you Kelvin."

"Here you go Sookie. Come on through." Kelvin told her.

"Thank you, kind Sir!" Sookie smiled as she reclaimed her purse.

"You ladies have a great day!"

"They are so friendly here." Sookie said as she followed Lorelai to reception.

"Apparently it was never like this before Rory took over. I've definitely noticed a difference in the last few times I've been here."

"Which one is the one you think looks like The Rock?"

"The guy who greeted us at the door."

"You're right, he kind of does."

"Good Morning Ladies, welcome to HPG! What can I do for you?" the man at the reception desk asked.

"Hi, I'm Rory Huntzberger's mother, Lorelai, and this is my friend Sookie. I need to get a visitor's pass for her."

"I'll need an ID from both of you. Is Mrs. Huntzberger expecting you?"

"I actually already have a security badge. I just need one for Sookie. She'll be here with me both today and tomorrow. She is catering the clinic opening. And yes, my daughter is expecting us."

"Wonderful." the man said as Lorelai pulled out her security badge, then Sookie handed over her driver's license, which he scanned, then handed back to her, along with a sticker with her name and picture on it. "Here you are Ma'am. Your daughter is in her office. Would you like an escort?"

"Thank you, but that isn't necessary. I know how to get there." Lorelai told him.

"Alright then, you both have a wonderful day!"

"Thanks, you too!" Sookie said as she followed Lorelai through the lobby.

"You know what, turn around, let's go check the clinic before we head upstairs. Logan may be down here working." Lorelai said changing direction midstep, and rerouting herself in their quest for the elevator bank.

"The clinic is down here?"

"Yep, bottom floor, corner office."

"That's convenient."

"Logan is even getting his own personal security guard for the exterior door if they decide to use it. The original plan was to have access from both inside and outside of the building, but then the other day they realized that by having the exterior door open, it would allow people to enter and exit the building without going through security, so they are going trying to figure out if it's easier to have a security officer posted at the door, or if it's easier to just use the lobby doors and make everyone go through security that way."

"It seems a little excessive to have to go through security when going to the doctor though."

"It really does, but for a building and a business like this, I can understand it. Even for as much of an inconvenience as it is at times, at least I know that my daughter is safe. They even have guards with sniper rifles on the roof!"

"Now that is not at all excessive!" Sookie chuckled.

"My thoughts exactly! But then Carlos, the head security guy explained it all to me, so it at least makes sense. It turns out that every tall building in the city has the same thing. It apparently started after 9/11. With their guards and all the cameras that they have all over the place, they can actually see every square inch of this building, as well as a mile in every direction, and even further from the roof. Because this is New York City, if an attack is going to happen, it's most likely going to happen here. By having all the armed guards and cameras, the team is at least able to catch whatever is going down, before it happens, and hopefully prevent a massive nightmare."

"Yeah, that totally makes sense." Sookie said as Lorelai knocked on the clinic door. "I don't see any lights on."

"Yeah, me either. Hey Chuck?" Lorelai said as a security guard was passing by them.

"Oh, hey Lorelai! Nice to see you!"

"It's nice to see you too. Do you know if Logan is down here? Or if anyone is in the clinic?"

"Not that I know of. Let me find out." Chuck said as he reached for his microphone.

"Does anyone happen to know where Logan Huntzberger is, or if there is anyone in the clinic? Lorelai is here looking for him . . . Alright, thank you . . . Logan is with Rory in her office. The clinic door is alarmed, so there is no one inside. Would you like me to escort you upstairs?"

"No thank you, I know the way. Thanks for the help Chuck."

"No problem. Have a great day Miss Lorelai." Chuck smiled, then headed on his way.

"Wow, people know you here!" Sookie said, completely shocked by how well known Lorelai was.

"Only since Monday. I only knew a couple people before then."

"Really? So you're telling me that in the last few days, you've befriended the entire security team?"

"Not the entire team. Just a lot of them."

"Really?"

"Hey, I needed help, and they're all really beefy. It was pretty fun to watch." Lorelai told her as they headed for the elevators.

"I'm sure it was. You seem to have this place completely wired."

"Carlos was telling us that things used to be pretty different here before Rory and Logan took over. Mitchum wasn't at all as friendly and accommodating as Rory and Logan are. He said that from the second they spotted Mitchum's car pulling into the parking garage, the alert would go out about him being on the premises, and people would scatter like roaches to avoid him. But now that he's gone, and Rory and Logan have taken over, that never happens anymore. They've even stopped alerting anyone that they are here because no one even bats an eyelash. The only one that gets the alert, is Rory's assistant, and even he doesn't care most of the time."

"Wow, that's crazy! But hey, it tells you what an amazing job you did in raising Rory." Sookie said as they stepped into the elevator.

"Yep, so amazing that it takes her at least 30 minutes for her to get from the parking garage, to her office, because everyone stops her to say hi, and to chat."

"Wow! That definitely sounds like Rory. You have to scan your badge for the elevator too?" Sookie asked, watching as Lorelai swiped her badge, then pressed the button for Rory's floor.

"Just to get to Rory's office. The elevator opens right onto the main floor, so there isn't any door blocking her off from anyone."

"What did you have to do to get the badge?"

"I had to give them my ID and thumbprint."

"Fancy."

"I stopped asking questions a few months ago."

"Probably smart." Sookie agreed as the elevator doors opened, and they stepped out onto the busy 15th floor. "Wow, it's pretty up here!"

"Hi Miss Lorelai!" a lady greeted as she bypassed the duo on her way through the office.

"Hey Lorelai." Doyle said, looking up from where he was talking to another employee. "They're in Rory's office. You can go right in."

"Thanks Doyle!" Lorelai smiled as she headed across the floor to the far wall where they saw Rory working through a window. Lorelai gently knocked on the door, before turning the knob to let herself in. "Hey guys, I found a lost puppy, can I keep her? Can I can I?"

"Sookie!" Rory cheered, pushing herself up out of her chair as both Lorelai and Sookiei entered her office.

"Hey kiddo! I love your office!" Sookie said walking around the desk to give Rory a hug. "Wow, look at that baby bump! Can I touch it?"

"Only because you're you." Rory agreed.

"Hi there sweet girl! I'm your Auntie Sookie! I can't wait for you to come out and play with me! Are you feeling any little kicks yet?"

"I am, but nothing that's been able to be felt from the outside. She's been a little quiet this morning though."

"She's probably still sleeping. My kids never really woke up until around lunch time."

"That seems to be about right for Ayribella. She likes food. Or at least she does most of the time. She still likes to make me throw up a lot."

"That's life with a little girl." Sookie chuckled. "Nausea and acne are their favorite curses."

"Where's Logan?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh the phone out on the balcony. He doesn't like to yell at people in front of me."

"I can definitely understand that one."

"Mrs. Huntzberger?" a voice said, as the intercom kicked on.

"Yes?" Rory answered.

"There is an inspector here for the clinic."

"Thank you, we'll be right down."

"I'll disarm the door."

"You guys can leave your things up here if you'd like. I'll take you downstairs, and show you where everything is going to be, and then you can set things up however you want." Rory said as she walked through her office to the balcony door. "Logan, there is an inspector here."

"Who is he talking to?" Lorelai asked.

"I have no idea. I didn't ask. Maybe Jake, from State Farm."

"I hear she sounds hideous." Sookie chuckled

"Well he should, because he's a man." Lorelai chimed in.

"Hey Jake from State Farm, what are you wearing?"

"Uh, khakis and a red shirt." Lorelai bantered with her friend.

"I love you guys!" Rory laughed. "I miss this!"

"No way!" Sookie said as Logan walked in the door.

"Hey guys!" Logan greeted them.

"Rory, I didn't know that Logan is really Jake, from State Farm." Sookie said between fits of laughter.

"What?!" Logan asked, giving his wife a confused look.

"Mom asked who you were talking to, and I told her that I didn't know. Maybe Jake, from State Farm. They were mimicking the state farm commercial, and you just walked in wearing khakis and a red shirt. Don't be surprised if they walk around calling you 'Jake from State Farm' all day."

"Oh geez! I'm almost sorry I asked."

"Hey Jake from State Farm, has anyone ever told you that you look an awful lot like my daughter's husband?" Lorelai asked.

"You're hilarious! Hey Ace, do you think I need a tie for the inspection?"

"Why would you need a tie?" Sookie asked.

"I don't know. Would it be more professional?"

"I think you look fine."

"Come on Jake, from State Farm." Lorelai said as she set her purse down on the couch, and tossed her coat on top of it, then headed out of the office.

"They're not going to let me hear the end of this, are they?" Logan asked, reaching for Rory's hand as they began to follow Lorelai.

"I would probably change your shirt."

"You said that you liked what I'm wearing when I put it on this morning."

"I do like it. It looks great on you. I'm just giving you a way to make my mom stop calling you Jake from State Farm."

"I'll text Honor and have her grab me something."

"That's a good idea. But just for the record, you are way hotter than Jake from State Farm."

"Good to know." Logan said, kissing his wife as they stepped into the elevator where Doyle was standing holding the door open.

"Hey Doyle, I didn't know that Jake from State Farm works here." Lorelai joked as the door closed.

"What are you talking about?" Doyle asked.

"How does he not get it?"

"Doyle, have you seen the State Farm commercials?" Rory asked.

"Probably, but I don't watch much tv. I'm always either working or playing with the twins."

"Hey Jake from State Farm, what are you wearing?" Lorelai asked.

"Uh, khakis and a red shirt." Sookie recited, pointing at Logan's clothing.

"Oh, ok. I get it." Doyle told them.

"How are you not laughing? It's hilarious!" Lorelai told him.

"Logan isn't laughing either."

"Only because he's the one being picked on."

"I'll call Honor." Rory said as the elevator doors opened, and the group stepped out into the lobby, and headed for the clinic.

"Thank you. Tell her that I'm desperate."

"Hey Rory! I'm getting ready to leave my house right now." Honor said, answering her phone.

"Honor, I need a favor."

"Name it."

"Would you mind going across the street, and grabbing Logan a dress shirt from our closet?"

"Sure! Did he spill something all over his?"

"No, but I'm sure he's wanting to right now. He's wearing a red long sleeved polo with khaki pants, and my Mom is calling him Jake from State Farm."

"Oh geez! I'll definitely grab him a different color. Is there anything else that you need?"

"Just donuts, but I can have those delivered from around the corner."

"That sounds really good! Get me something fruit filled. Like raspberry."

"Will do. Thanks Honor."

"You are so welcome. I'll see you soon." she said ending the call.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Huntzberger." Logan said as the group stepped up to the clinic door to see two men standing with one of the HPG security officers.

"Doctor Huntzberger, it's nice to meet you. My name is Marshall Sandberg, and I am here from the New York State Medical Board." One of the men introduced himself, holding a hand out for Logan to shake.

"I am Stephan Stevens from New York County." the second man introduced himself.

"It is very nice to meet you both. Thank you so much for coming out today." Logan said as he shook the man's hand.

"Doctor Huntzberger, we've already checked IDs, and distributed visitors passes. They are good to go." the security officer spoke up.

"Thank you Dave. Is this door alarmed?"

"No Sir. It's been disarmed."

"Excellent! Thank you so much for your diligence. Please let me know when the other inspectors arrive."

"Will do Doctor Huntzberger."

"Everyone is so respectful here." Sookie commented as Logan unlocked the door by scanning his security badge, then opened the door, and held it for everyone to enter.

"Mr. Sandberg, Mr. Stevens, this is my wife, Rory Huntzberger. She is the CEO here at the Huntzberger Publishing Group."

"Mrs. Huntzberger, it is a pleasure to meet you." Mr. Stevens said as he shook Rory's hand, with Mr. Sandberg following suit.

"And this is Lorelai Danes, and Sookie Bellville of the Dragonfly Inn in Stars Hollow, Connecticut. They are organizing and catering our grand opening event tomorrow."

"It is nice to meet you both." Mr. Sandberg said, nodding in Lorelai and Sookie's direction.

"And this is my assistant, Doyle McMaster. He's going to be helping out with your inspection today. Anything that you need, please don't hesitate to let him know." Rory said, introducing Doyle to the inspectors. "If you gentlemen will excuse me, I am going to go work with the ladies on tomorrow's event."

"I'll text you." Logan said, placing a kiss on Rory's cheek.

"Ok." Rory smiled, then turned and headed out of the office with Lorelai and Sookie following behind her. Rory headed right for the security desk at the front door. "Hey James, would you mind calling Carlos for me, and letting him know that I need access to the press room, large conference room, and the event room with the adjoining kitchen, please?"

"No problem Mrs. Huntzberger." James said reaching for his microphone.

"Thank you so much!" Rory smiled, then walked away, and headed across the lobby.

"This building is beautiful!" Sookie said, looking around as they walked.

"It's a little more grandiose than I normally like, but it's not so bad." Rory agreed. "I kind of want to redecorate."

"That would be so fun!" Lorelai told her.

"Maybe I should hire Grandma to do it."

"Your Grandmother would enjoy that way too much!"

"You're probably right. Crap, I forgot to call Cassandra!"

"Who is Cassandra?"

"She's the HPG Events Coordinator that I completely bypassed to have you guys plan the Grand Opening. But she's the one with the access to all of the furnishings and equipment that you guys need." Rory explained as she reached into her back pocket to get her phone, and quickly pulled up the number she needed. "Hey Cassandra, it's Rory. The ladies from the Dragonfly Inn are here to set up for tomorrow . . . Yes, we are outside the press room, waiting for Carlos to open everything . . . Alright, thank you." Rory said, then ended the call. "She'll be down in a moment."

"So you have your own event crew that you basically stole work away from to give it to us?" Lorelai asked.

"What can I say, I like you guys better. Plus, Sookie's cooking is WAY better than anything they've ever had at any HPG party."

"Plus, it's Logan's birthday, and you don't trust anyone else to not completely screw it all up."

"That too."

"Well we are honored to work with you!" Sookie told her.

"Hey ladies." Carlos said, as he approached the trio. "I brought 4 access cards. Who needs them?"

"Definitely the two of them." Rory answered.

"Here you go. And here is one for you as well. Is Cassandra helping you at all?"

"Technically. I kind of accidentally bypassed her for this."

"Well her crew will need a card as well. I'm being called away, but you've got access to the rooms, so let me know if there is anything else that you need."

"We will. Thank Carlos." Rory said as she took the cards, handing one to her mom, and one to Sookie, then opened to door to the press room. "Alright, so I have no idea what you guys want to do with these rooms, but it's all you. I'm guessing you've got supplies in your car?"

"We do." Lorelai confirmed. And everything we didn't need right away, and couldn't fit into the car, Luke is bringing up later this afternoon."

"I'm thinking right now we need to start by getting the tables set up." Sookie told them. "I have cooking crews going at both your house and Honor's right now, so the food is already going. We just need to get everything set up here, so we have somewhere to put it all in the morning."

*** ~ * ~ * ~ * 2 hours later * ~ * ~ * ~ ***

"Hello Sir, welcome to the Huntzberger Publishing Group." the woman at the reception desk said, seeing a tall man standing in front of her.

"Hi, I'm looking for Carlos Reyes. I was told that I could find him here."

"Yes Sir, let me call him for you. Can I give him your name?"

"Dwayne Johnson."

"Just one moment please." the lady said as she reached for the phone. "Hi Carlos, I have a gentleman by the name of Dwayne Johnson waiting for you at reception . . . Yes Sir, I'll let him know . . . Mr. Johnson, if you would like to take a seat, Mr. Reyes will be right out."

"Thank you Ma'am! You have a wonderful day!"

"Hey Dwayne! It's great to see you!" Carlos said, approaching his friend a moment later.

"Hey Buddy. I had a break from filming for the afternoon, so I thought I would come drop by with some autographs for your friends. I'm so sorry about the other day. I didn't know I would be called back to the set so soon."

"It's not a problem at all, don't even worry about it. Do you have a few minutes? You can give them the autographs yourself if you'd like."

"Sure, of course! That would be great!"

"Awesome! Right this way. They are going to be super excited to see you." Carlos said as he lead his friend through the lobby to the conference rooms. "Excuse me, ladies? I have someone here that would like to say hi to you."

"Hey Carlos, come on in." Rory said as she looked up from the table she was working at. "Oh holy crap! Hey Mom?!"

"Yeah, what's up?" Lorelai called from across the room where she was putting up decorations with Sookie.

"Mom, you might want to stop what you are doing, and come over here." Rory said as she got up from her seat.

"Lorelai, Lorelai Lorelai!" Sookie said excitedly, pointing across the room.

"What the heck has suddenly gotten into you?" Lorelai asked as she stepped down from the ladder she had been standing on, and turned toward where her friend was pointing. "No freaking way!"

"Hey ladies! How are you?" Dwayne asked.

"My friend Dwayne here just stopped by with some autographs, and I thought I would bring him into say hi." Carlos told them. "Dwayne, this is Rory Huntzberger, she is the CEO here at HPG, and this is her mother Lorelai and friend Sookie. Ladies, this is my good friend Dwayne Johnson."

"Hi Mr. Johnson, it's a pleasure to meet you." Rory said stepping up to the men and holding her hand out to shake his. "Welcome to HPG."

"It's very nice to meet you, Rory right?"

"Yes, that is correct. Thank you so much for coming by. We are big fans of yours. Especially my Mom."

"Holy crap, I can't believe I'm actually meeting The Rock!" Lorelai said excitedly as she stepped up next to Rory with Sookie. "Hi I'm Lorelai. Can I call you Rock?"

"Sure, if that's what you'd like. Or you can just call me Dwayne. It's great to meet you Lorelai. I am so sorry I couldn't do more than wave the other day when I saw you guys. I had to get back to filming."

"No, don't be sorry, it's totally ok! You're a very busy man!"

"Hi, I'm Sookie!" Sookie smiled, offering her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir."

"Hello Sookie. What a unique name."

"Well thank you!"

"It looks like you ladies are setting up for a party here."

"Kind of." Rory agreed. "We are opening an employee medical clinic, and we have all the grand opening events tomorrow. It's also my husband's birthday, so we are kind of celebrating two big events at the same time."

"An employee medical clinic?"

"Yes, we've partnered with Columbia University and their hospital, Columbia Presbyterian to open a medical clinic right here in our building, where both our employees, as well as University and hospital employees can come receive medical treatment for a lower cost than they would be able to elsewhere."

"That sounds awesome! Where is the clinic located?"

"Right here in this building, on the other side of the lobby. I can give you a tour, if you'd like."

"That would be great, I would love one!" Dwayne told her.

"Wonderful! Just follow me, we'll go right now." Rory smiled, beckoning everyone to follow her. "Hey Logan?" Rory called as she opened the door to the clinic a moment later.

"What's up?" Logan asked, walking out of the back office. "Oh holy crap!"

"Logan, this is Dwayne Johnson. Dwayne, this is my husband, Doctor Logan Huntzberger. He'll be running our clinic."

"Doctor Huntzberger, it is a pleasure to meet you, Sir." Dwayne said holding his hand out toward Logan.

"Hello! Wow! We are all fans of yours. Thank you so much for coming by today!" Logan said as he shook hands with The Rock.

"Dwayne is a friend of mine and stopped by to drop off some autographs, so I thought I'd give him a chance to say hi to everyone, and Rory offered him a tour of your new clinic." Carlos explained.

"Yes! Definitely! Come on in!" Logan agreed. "We are still getting everything set up for our grand opening festivities tomorrow, and waiting on a few more inspections today, but I can definitely give you a tour."

"How long have you been a doctor?" Dwayne asked.

"A few years now. I graduated from Yale University with my BA in journalism, worked for a tech start up in California for about 6 months, then left to go to medical school here in New York at Columbia. I got my PhD in Immunology and Genetics, and my MD in Internal Medicine."

"Wow, that is impressive! Where were you working before you opened the office here?"

"I've been working as an emergency room physician at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, where I completed my residency."

"So you've pretty much seen it all then."

"Pretty much." Logan chuckled. "I'm going to miss it, but this clinic is an extension of the hospital because of our partnership with them, so I can go back to help whenever they need me, or if I get bored and want something to fill some time."

"How did you manage to partner with the hospital?"

"I basically just went to my boss and presented them with an offer that they couldn't refuse. It was the perfect opportunity for them to expand their services, and give employees of the hospital and the university easier and more affordable access to medical care. It directly benefits both companies. We are offering all of our employees lower cost co-pays than they would find going elsewhere, and we are also giving them medical treatment while remaining on the clock and receiving a paycheck. We had a scheduling application added to our computer system, so each employee can schedule an appointment right from their desk, and then an alert comes right to my phone as the appointment is added to my calendar."

"That is very impressive! So is it only employees that have access to this clinic, or is it open to the community as well?"

"It will only be employees of HPG, the hospital, and Columbia University, as well as their family members covered under the company provided insurance policy."

"So I can't come in here if I get hurt on set then."

"Technically, no, but I'm willing to make an exception and treat you free of charge at any time. You can come by any time you need anything, and I'll take care of you."

"You are very kind, thank you." Dwayne told him. "This office looks great! I love the color scheme you chose."

"Come on in, let me give you a little tour." Logan told him, stepping back to lead a tour through the office.

"Your husband is giving The Rock a tour of his office." Lorelai whispered as Rory took a seat in one of the chairs in the small waiting room.

"I know! Did you see the look on his face when we walked in the door?"

"Definitely better than the look on Lorelai's face." Sookie chuckled.

"Logan has met several famous people before, so he's usually pretty cool about it, but he was definitely surprised." Rory agreed.

"Do you think he'll let us take pictures with him?" Sookie asked.

"I don't know. I'm guessing probably since he came over to bring autographs. You can ask him."

"I can't believe that I just met Dwayne The Rock Johnson!" Lorelai said excitedly. "This is the coolest day of my life!""

"Carlos did say that he would hook you up."

"And he totally came through!"

"Rory, you officially have the coolest job in the world!" Sookie said as she took a seat next to Rory.

"It's definitely been pretty cool thus far. I get to travel, meet cool people, and being the boss I pretty much have the freedom to do whatever I want to."

"I am so proud of you Sweetheart! You've come a long way, and done very well for yourself."

"Thank you Sookie! That means a lot to me. I couldn't have done any of this without both of you always being there for me. You've always been my second Mother, and I really appreciate everything you've done for me over the years."

"You are so welcome Sweetie! I feel like you are one of my own kids too."

"Alright, no tears today." Lorelai said interrupting the conversation as she saw Rory getting emotional. "Rory has had too many crazy pregnancy cries this week.

"You can definitely say that again." Rory chuckled as Honor walked in the door.

"I am so sorry it took me so long to get here, I forgot that Dad had a video therapy session with mom this morning, and it ran longer than it was supposed to. But I remembered to grab Logan's shirt." Honor said holding up the black clothing bag in her hand.

"Hey Honor, he's in the back giving a tour. You should head back there." Lorelai told her.

"Um, ok?" Honor said looking between the women. "I feel like I just walked into something."

"There's someone here that you're going to love." Sookie spoke up.

"Ok, but really fast, Dad wants to come to the opening tomorrow, and Mom wants to watch it on video conference."

"I'm ok with the video conference, but you'll have to talk to Logan about your Dad coming. I'm not too sure how he'll feel about that one." Rory told her.

"I actually need your help with that because there is a really good reason for it. I can't tell you what it is, but I need for Dad to be here. We can take whatever precautions Logan insists on, but Dad needs to be able to be here. It's Logan's birthday, and the launch of his private medical practice. It's a really big day for our family, and we really should all be together for it."

"Ok, I'm on board. I'll help you with Logan."

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" Honor cheered excitedly.

"It's a small office, but we don't need it to be any bigger. Three exam rooms should be more than enough considering it's just for employees." Logan said as he led the tour back to the waiting room. "And my sister has arrived. Dwayne, this is my sister Honor. Honor, this is Dwayne Johnson."

"Holy cow! It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Johnson!"

"Please, call me Dwayne. The pleasure is all mine." Dwayne said as he shook Honor's hand. "This office is incredible! But it needs one thing."

"What's that?" Logan asked.

"It needs a picture. Let's get some pictures together that you can hang up on the wall here. You'll have the official Dwayne Johnson seal of approval right here on your wall." Dwayne said pointing to the wall by the reception desk.

"I love it!" Lorelai cheered.

"That is a great idea!" Logan agreed. "I'll have it printed and put up today."

"I've got my phone." Honor said excitedly.

"Logan, let's get one of you and I together, and then we'll get one with your beautiful wife." Dwayne told him, setting the pictures in his hand on the counter next to them.

"That sounds great!" Logan agreed, posing for pictures with Dwayne.

"Thank you so much for coming by Dwayne! It was a pleasure to meet you." Lorelai said a few minutes later, after they had all finished taking pictures together.

"You are all very welcome. I'm glad I got to meet all of you. Thank you so much for the tour. This clinic is amazing! Congratulations to you Dr. Huntzberger! And happy birthday. It's tomorrow, right?"

"Thank you! It is tomorrow." Logan told him.

"You're welcome! A little birdie mentioned it when she brought me in. These pictures are for you guys. I need to get back to set, but thank you so much for allowing me to come by unannounced." Dwayne said handing the stack of pictures he brought over to Logan.

"Thank you for coming by. You are welcome here any time. Feel free to drop by if you're in the neighborhood." Rory told him.

"And if you ever need a doctor, please don't hesitate to let me know." Logan told him.

"You are very kind, thank you. Carlos, it was great to see you again, brother. Let's keep in touch."

"Most definitely. Thank you so much for coming by today. I'll walk you out." Carlos said as he gave his friend a manly hug, then led him out of the office.

"Seriously, best day ever!" Lorelai said excitedly as the door closed. "Like ever!"


	55. Chapter 55

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

I have a lot going on today, but I managed to finish this chapter last night, and my editor just sent it back to me, so here you go.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! I am so glad you guys are loving this story! Your kind words mean a lot to me. Thank you so much!

Now, I get to finish getting ready, and then go drive 4 hours. Yahoo! :-/

* * *

**Friday, February 3, 2017**

**Huntzberger Home**

**6am**

"Hey Baby, it's your birthday." Rory said softly, rubbing Logan's chest to wake him up after turning their alarm off.

"I don't wanna. Too tired." Logan groaned, trying to pull the blankets up over his shoulder.

"We've got a busy day today."

"Sleep."

"Come on birthday boy. It's time to get up."

"I don't wanna. I should be allowed to sleep in on my birthday."

"If you get up right now, we can share a shower. But if you don't, I'll just have to go shower by myself, and then you'll be on your own getting ready."

"You play dirty."

"We need to get up and get moving before the entire family decides to burst in here for an impromptu birthday party."

"They wouldn't do that."

"You do realize that you're talking about Lorelai Gilmore, right? Because Lorelai Gilmore ALWAYS does that! Every year on my birthday, she wakes me up at 4:03 in the morning, when it's still pitch black outside, just so she can tell me the story of my birth. You don't want to tempt fate do you?"

"I was born in the middle of the afternoon."

"Don't tempt fate. I promise you that she'll be bursting in here in the next 20-30 minutes, and if you aren't showered and dressed, then she's going to be seeing your naked butt."

"You people are mean." Logan said finally opening his eyes, and attempting to glare at his wife.

"Happy birthday Baby. I love you." Rory smiled, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "Come take a shower with me so we can get dressed before that door bursts open."

"It can't burst open if I lock it."

"Please, have you met my mother?!"

"She would really pick the lock?"

"You think she wouldn't? Lorelai is the birthday queen. There is no keeping her from celebrating anything. There is tons of hoopla in a Gilmore birthday, remember?"

"Why did we agree to do the opening today? Why couldn't I just take the day off to sleep? Maybe fly somewhere luxurious for the weekend, so we can sleep and relax."

"Because the timing worked out with construction, and it allows you to get the business running smoothly, and still get your annual required continuing education seminars in before the baby is born."

"It's early!"

"The sooner you come shower with me, the sooner you get coffee."

"Next year I get to sleep on my birthday."

"You can sleep tomorrow. Come on, get up. I'm going to go get the water turned on, so it gets nice and warm." Rory said giving Logan one more kiss, then climbing out of bed and heading to their bathroom to turn the shower on.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * An Hour Later * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday dear Logan

Happy birthday to you

Everyone sang as Rory and Logan entered the kitchen to find breakfast and coffee set out for them.

"Thank guys!" Logan smiled as he took a seat on a bar stool next to the kitchen island where a plate of food was waiting for him, along with several presents.

"We were going to bring all of this upstairs, and surprise you with breakfast in bed, but you were already in the shower when we tried." Lorelai told him.

"I told you so!" Rory said taking a seat on the stool next to him.

"I don't normally get up this early unless I absolutely have to."

"Open your presents!" Honor instructed him

"I can open them later."

"I do believe the woman gave you an order." Josh spoke up as Lorelai handed out plates of food to the rest of the family.

"Everyone is so demanding this morning." Logan chuckled as he took a bite of food, then reached for a present. "This better not explode in my face."

"Crap, I left the explosive present in my garage!" Honor laughed.

"Wow, business cards. Thank you Honor! That was very sweet of you."

"You are very welcome. The blue box is from Mom and Dad."

"Alright." Logan said as he reached for the next gift, and ripped it open to find new shoes, a stethoscope, lab coat with his name and "Huntzberger Clinic" embroidered on it, and a new tie that said 'world's greatest doctor'. "Thanks Dad! Tell Mom I said thank you as well."

"Your mother is actually on the phone and wants to talk to you." Mitchum said handing his phone over.

"Good morning sweetheart! Happy birthday!"

"Thank you! Thank you for the presents, I love them. It's awfully early there. What are you doing up already?" Logan asked.

"I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday, and tell you that I am so proud of you, and that I love you. You have a wonderful day today, ok?"

"Thank you Mom. I will. I love you too. Are you doing ok?"

"I'm doing wonderful, Sweetie. I know that you have a big day today, so I'll let you go. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday before things start to get crazy."

"Thanks Mom. I appreciate it."

"Have a good day Honey. I'm excited to watch your press conference this morning."

"Thanks Mom. Here's Dad again." Logan said as he handed the phone back to his father.

"Isn't it 4am in California?" Rory asked.

"Yes it is." Logan confirmed.

"I would kill whoever woke me up at that hour. Someone had better be dead for you to be calling me that early."

"I agree!" Honor chuckled. "Mom just really wanted to say Happy Birthday before you headed in this morning."

"I'm surprised she even remembered."

"Everything is different now, remember?"

"I know, but it's still kind of weird for me. After 34 years, it's odd to actually have a good relationship."

"You guys don't have to be as close as Rory and Lorelai are. But you do need to give her a chance."

"I'm doing my best." Logan told her. "Do I have to open the rest of these presents right now, or can they wait for later on?"

"Those can wait." Lorelai told him. "Your Mom just wanted you to have your stuff to wear this morning."

"I'm not wearing that tie today. I like it, but it's not exactly press conference professional."

"That tie was kind of a joke." Honor pointed out. "Mom and I were joking about getting you something cheesy like that a few weeks ago. We didn't expect you to ever wear it. It's not exactly your style."

"Not at all. I'm sure I'll have plenty of cheesy stuff like that to wear once Ayribella starts with the gift giving, so it'll probably eventually get worn."

"That's true. You'll have to wear all of those cheesy Daddy presents."

"Don't even think for a single second, that you are exempt from that. Because I have 34 years of big sister payback to inflict on you through your child." Logan told her.

"You just need to remember that you love me, and that what goes around, comes around. I can play that game too. In fact, I'm a lot better at it than you are."

"Whatever you say!" Logan laughed. "Hey Ace, we need to get going. Frank should be here any minute. It's almost 7:30."

"I'm ready when you are." Rory told him.

"I'll steam your new doctor coat, and bring it to you when I come down." Honor told him.

"Thank you! Hey guys! Anyone who is coming with Rory and I this morning, Frank will be here any minute! Security will be posted outside both this house and Honor's for the next several days, as well as outside the gate. If you need an escort getting into the office, call me! I have no idea how crazy things are going to be, but we need to be prepared for a massive storm. And I'm sure that I don't need to remind anyone of this, but please, no talking to the press. No baby information, and if they ask for a due date, the answer is 'early summer'. I don't need them barricading the hospital trying to get information."

"I'll text the rest of the family." Lorelai offered.

"Thanks Lorelai. Rory, will you hand me those new shoes?"

"Here you go. They're so shiny!"

"These have always been my favorites. Mom and Honor have been buying them for me since I was a teenager." Logan said as he switched out the shoes he was wearing for the new ones. "Ok, how do I look?"

"Way too good to be going to work. If we didn't have such an important day I might be tempted to drag you back upstairs."

"Now that I can definitely get behind!" He said pulling Rory into his arms, and kissing her passionately as the doorbell rang.

"It's Frank!" Josh called from the other room.

"Hey Frank, come on in! Are you hungry?" Honor called as she headed toward the door.

"How do I look?" Rory asked as Logan let go of her.

"That blue dress looks amazing on you." Lorelai told her.

"You look incredible Ace!"

"I don't look too fat and grungy?"

"Hell no! You look gorgeous."

"Good morning everyone!" Frank said as he entered the kitchen.

"Hey Frank!" Lorelai greeted. "Are you hungry? We have plenty!"

"I can make you a plate." Luke offered.

"This breakfast is amazing! Make him a plate to go." Logan told him.

"You guys sure have a full house today." Frank commented.

"It's Logan's birthday, and we're opening his new medical clinic this morning. You are welcome to join us for the festivities." Rory said giving Frank a quick hug.

"You look beautiful today. Did I know that you are pregnant?"

"Thank you Frank, you are so sweet! I don't remember if we mentioned it to you or not." Rory told him. "Sorry, we've kept it pretty quiet, and we haven't seen you in a while."

"Don't be sorry, I completely understand.

"I'm guessing you are due sometime this summer?"

"May 23rd. With a little girl."

"Congratulations! You two will be wonderful parents! What is the answer you are telling people in case I'm asked?"

"We are only telling them early summer. No details at all."

"Gotcha. You know my mouth is sealed."

"That's why we keep you around." Logan smiled. "Hey guys, whoever is going with us, let's go!"

"Luke and I are going to ride over with Sookie. She's finishing up in Honor's kitchen." Lorelai said as she helped Rory slip her coat on. "Honey, don't forget your heels."

"They're in my big purse. Logan, will you grab my computer bag please?"

"I've got it. Alright, we're leaving! Press conference starts at 11. I expect everyone to be there by 10:30 at the absolute latest!" Logan shouted over all the other voices in the house.

"Miss Honor, I'll pick you all up 9:30" Frank told her. "Will you be here, or across the street?"

"Probably across the street. I'll text you if we aren't."

"Alright, I'll see the rest of you very soon."

"Thanks Frank!" Mitchum said as he ate his breakfast with the rest of the family.

"Here's your plate Frank."

"Thank you Miss Lorelai." Frank smiled, then followed Rory and Logan out of the house to drive them to the office.

"Are you sure I look ok? This dress isn't too tight?" Rory asked as she climbed into the back of the limo with Logan, buckling her seat belt, and snuggling up next to him.

"You look absolutely incredible! It's going to be hard to keep my hands off of you today."

"It's hard for you to keep your hands to yourself every day."

"Hey, it's not my fault you look sexy as hell." he said kissing the side of her head as she laid it on his shoulder.

"You know that you can tell me if I look horrid, you know."

"Trust me, I would. But you need to trust me when I tell you that I've never seen you look horrid a single day since I've known you."

"Even when I was covered in blood, fresh out of the ambulance?"

"Not even then. You looked beautiful, just covered in blood."

"More or less beautiful than today?"

"Don't ask stupid questions. You look more beautiful every day."

"Are you sure? Because I'm feeling kind of fat lately."

"Ace, come on. If we weren't on our way to work right now, I'd have Frank take us for a long drive to absolutely nowhere, and I would show you just how amazing I think you look, while he does it. Don't you ever say that you look fat, because you absolutely don't. You are tiny. You definitely have a baby bump, but otherwise you are just as petite as you've always been."

"I kind of like having Frank to drive us around. We don't get much time to just be us lately."

"We can use Frank's services as much as you want to. But I do agree, it's nice being able to just be together without having to worry about anything."

"It's been a really busy few weeks."

"Yes it has . . . Why don't we go away next weekend. We can go somewhere quiet, just the two of us."

"Where do you want to go?"

"It doesn't matter. Somewhere away from here."

"I'll check the calendar."

"I'm having Doyle clear the calendar. Anything non-life threatening can be rescheduled."

"Logan, don't be silly."

"I'm being serious. You and I are going to go away next weekend. Just the two of us. No excuses. It hasn't been just us in months. I miss having you all to myself."

"We've been really busy."

"Well next weekend is just us. No excuses."

"Where do you want to go?"

"I have no idea, but I'm going to figure it out."

"Next weekend is Valentine's weekend."

"Even better! I get a romantic Valentines get away with the only valentine I will ever need."

"That actually sounds really nice." Rory said lifting her head to look up at her husband.

"I love you Ace."

"I love you too." Rory smiled as Logan pressed a kiss to her lips.

"You know, if we weren't already married, I would marry you right now, without even thinking about it."

"We've been married for 4 months."

"It should have been more."

"You walked away."

"And I will regret that for the rest of my life."

"We're together now though. That's all that really matters, right?"

"And I will never not be grateful for the day that you walked back into my life."

"You looked so hot that day, sitting in the corner of the coffee shop, sipping your drink."

"So you did see me then."

"Just your body. I couldn't see your face. Had I been paying more attention and actually gotten a good look, I might have realized that it was you, and ran the other way before you saw me."

"You would have run the other way?"

"I was still really hurting. Every time I saw someone who looked even a little bit like you, I would take off in the opposite direction. I had given up on ever falling in love again. If I couldn't have you, I didn't want anyone."

"It's a good thing that I have enough guts for the both of us then. Because I never wanted anyone else either. The second I saw you in that coffee shop, I was ready to beg you to come back to me."

"You had an advantage over me though. You knew exactly where to find me the entire time."

"But I had promised Paris that I would leave you alone, and not go all crazy stalker love sick puppy on you."

"Did you ever see me before that day?"

"I knew that you were at Paris' medical school graduation."

"You were there?"

"I was."

"Why didn't you come say hi?"

"I promised Paris that I wouldn't overwhelm you. It was her day. I didn't want to detract from that."

"Were you at Paris and Doyle's wedding?"

"No. I seriously considered going though. I was supposed to be there, but I knew it would be too hard for both of us, and again, it was Paris' day. It wouldn't have been right to mess things up for either of you. I went to Vegas with Collin and Finn, and got really drunk."

"Logan, I am so sorry!"

"Don't be sorry. It was for the best."

"I wish you had been at the wedding. I was really missing you that day. I kept picturing it being us getting married."

"That is exactly why I stayed away. I couldn't face reality."

"You and I are really, truly pathetic!"

"Yes we are." Logan chuckled. "Way more so than anyone ever realized."

"I guess it's a really good thing that we work in the same building."

"We would see a lot less of each other if we didn't."

"Can you imagine what that would be like?"

"We've been together every second we could since you came into the hospital that day."

"Things would be really different if your dad hadn't had that first heart attack."

"You would still be pregnant though."

"That's true . . ."

"I can't believe you got pregnant that first night."

"Fate wanted us together. If it hadn't been for that heart attack, things would be really different right now."

"We would still be together though. I was already planning to eventually ask you to marry me again."

"But we may not have gotten married so soon."

"Probably not."

"Do you ever regret it?"

"Regret what?"

"Getting married so quickly."

"I could never regret that. I actually asked your mom at the hospital that day, if it would be ok with her, if I were to ask you again."

"You did?"

"I wasn't about to let you walk out of my life again."

_**~ * ~ * ~ * FLASH BACK * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

_"I remember everything. Rory is pretty hard to forget."_

_"So let me ask you this . . . I know it's none of my business, but what happened back at Yale?"_

_Taking a step backwards, Logan leaned up against the counter, looked down at the floor and sighed._

_"You said you loved my daughter. You asked Rory to marry you. But then when she wasn't ready, you walked away. I didn't expect that when you and I talked."_

_Logan slowly took a deep breath before raising his head to meet Lorelai's eyes._

_"I didn't expect that either." he said softly. "I screwed up. I was hurt. I thought we were there. I thought we wanted the same things. I never expected her to say no."_

_"And now it's been over 8 years, and you guys haven't had any contact."_

_"I know . . . I reached for the phone so many times, but one day became two, which became a week, then a month. Then several months. And I kept chickening out. I kept telling myself that if Rory loved me as much as I loved her, she would call. Somehow I just justified everything in my head. I was stupid and stubborn, and I just couldn't come right out and admit that I was wrong."_

_"Did you know that Rory did the exact same thing? She kept telling me that it had been so long that she was sure that you had forgotten all about her. Any time my parents or anyone mentioned your name, Rory just tuned them out. She refused to hear anything about you. Rory said that if you wanted her to know, you would reach out."_

_"Paris told me that if I ever asked her to be the go between, she would castrate me."_

_"I wouldn't put that past her either." Lorelai said with a soft chuckle. "So what does this all mean now? Its been 8 1/2 years."_

_"Honestly?" Logan started, but then paused for a moment, trying to get his thoughts straight. "That is all up to Rory."_

_"Judging by your face, you still have feelings for her."_

_"There's never been anyone else . . . And yes, I know how incredibly insane that sounds."_

_"Well I'm not going to be your go between either. It's no secret that I didn't like you in the past. But everything has changed now. Neither one of you are the babies that you used to be. You are both grown up now, with fancy careers. Especially you! Never in a million years did I ever expect you to go to medical school. But you did. And now you're here, standing in this hospital room, taking amazing care of my baby girl."_

_"I ran into her at the coffee shop this morning. Did she tell you?"_

_"Not yet. But I'm sure she will later. She's been thru a lot today."_

_"I was just in the right place, at the right time."_

_"You have a tendency to do that." Lorelai told him with a gentle smile._

_"I was just sitting there drinking my coffee before work, scrolling through my e-mail, as if I have some kind of exciting life or something. Next thing I know, this beautiful woman walks in with some other lady. I glanced up when the door opened, and I saw this gorgeous brunette, but I couldn't see her face very well. I wasn't even paying attention to her, until I heard her voice. I didn't even believe it at first. I kept telling myself that there was no way Rory was there, and that I was just being stupid and imagining it. But I know her voice so well, and I had to do something. So as they were leaving, I decided to say hi. I guess I've been lucky."_

_"So what now then?"_

_"This morning I asked Rory to meet me for dinner sometime."_

_"That's a good start."_

_"And I was thinking that if it all goes well, maybe I can convince her to give me another chance."_

_"Well, judging by today, I'd say that she definitely owes you dinner."_

_"So you're ok with us trying again?"_

_"If it's what Rory wants, then I am definitely ok with it."_

_"Alright." Logan answered with a smile of his own. "Let me ask you one more thing . . . It's already been over ten years . . . If things go my way, can I start calling you mom?"_

_"I think you might have to."_

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

"I can't believe you knew that you wanted to marry me that day."

"I knew ten years before that day."

"When did you first know?"

"That I wanted to marry you?"

"Yeah."

"That day in the hospital. When I woke up from the coma, and you were there with me. I was so angry and terrified of losing you when I jumped off that cliff. I don't even know why I did it. I was so upset, and scared, and I was just being stupid. All I could think about was how upset you were with me, and how it was all entirely my fault. I loved you so much, but I was completely terrified of losing you again. You were so mad at me back then, and I felt terrible and just wanted to numb the pain."

"I shouldn't have let you go on that trip. I was just mad, and I couldn't get past it. I just couldn't understand how you could possibly say that you loved me, but be with those other girls. It took me going to Philadelphia a couple days after you left, and Jess kissing me, for me to finally get it. I felt terrible for letting you walk out that door. I should have begged you to stay."

"I kind of wish you had. But at the same time, I was upset too."

"You could have died that day."

"Thank goodness I didn't."

"I would have blamed myself."

"I wouldn't have wanted you to. I would have wanted you to be happy. That's all that I've ever wanted."

"I wouldn't have been happy without you though. I never have been."

"Mr. Huntzberger," Frank's voice broke through their conversation. "Would you like me to take you to the garage, or the front door."

"The garage is perfect." Logan answered, without breaking eye contact with his wife.

"We're about two minutes out."

"Thank you Frank . . . Can we pick this up later?"

"There's nothing to pick up. None of this matters anymore. We're together now. And we have an absolutely amazing life."

"Yes we do." Logan agreed gently stroaking his thumb over Rory's cheek. "I love you. More than anything in this world."

"I love you to too. Happy birthday Baby." Rory smiled as Logan leaned down to kiss her. "Oh crap! I forgot something!" Rory said, suddenly pulling away, and reaching for her purse.

"What did you forget?"

"My ring."

"What ring? You're wearing your engagement ring and you wedding band. What other ring matters?"

"I was going to wear your family ring today."

"The Huntzberger ring?"

"Yeah. It was your grandmother's. I always wear it for big events, and I forgot to grab it."

"Where is it?"

"In the safe."

"Call your mom. I'll text her the code."

"I'm so sorry Logan."

"It's not a big deal. Don't even worry about it. Someone should probably have the code other than us anyway."

"I figured Honor had it."

"Collin has it. It's in a file with all of my other legal paperwork. But he probably doesn't realize that he has it." Logan said as he reached inside his suit jacket to get his phone.

"Hey Mom? I need a favor." Rory said when Lorelai answered the phone. "Are you still at my house? Good, I need you to go upstairs to my bedroom, and get my ring out of the safe . . . The Huntzberger family ring. It's in a small red jewelry box in the safe . . . You didn't know that we have a safe? . . . No, I'm not sure how you didn't know. Ok, you know that picture that you said you like in my bedroom? Open it up . . . Yes, the picture opens. Run your finger along with bottom back ledge of the frame, and you'll hit the button. No, the picture won't come off the wall at all. Even if you tried to pull it, it's on there. Just slip your finger along the bottom of the frame right on the back. Like put your finger under the frame so you it goes under the back of it. There is a button that you won't even realize you hit until the picture opens. Just run your finger along that bottom back edge. Yes, right toward the left edge. The frame will open up when you trigger the button . . . Yeah. Logan is texting you the code right now, so make sure you delete the text after you get the ring . . . Yes . . . Yep, just bring it with you. I'll get it from you when you get here . . . Thanks Mom, you're the best! I love you too. See you soon." Rory said, then ended the call.

"Your mom didn't know that we have a safe?"

"I guess we never told her."

"That's kind of funny." Logan said as the door to his right opened.

"Are you two ready?" Frank asked holding his hand out to help Logan out of the car.

"Thank you so much Frank."

"It's my pleasure Mr. Huntzberger."

"You ready Babe?" Logan asked as he stepped out of the car, then held his hand out for Rory.

"I am. Thank you so much Frank. We'll see you a little bit later. You should definitely join us for the festivities today. There is going to be a ton of amazing food!"

"Thank you Mrs. Huntzberger. I'll see what I can do. You two have a wonderful day. Happy birthday Logan."

"Thanks Frank." Logan said as he reached into the car for Rory's computer bag, then took her hand, and led her into the building. "It's crazy, but I feel like the luckiest guy in the world right now. Just like the first time I brought you here."


	56. Chapter 56

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

Nothing Gilmore Girls, and nothing musical!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! I am so glad you guys are loving this story! Your kind words mean a lot to me. Thank you so much!

Just a side note; I am kind of a music freak. I LOVE music! I've always loved music. Hell, back when I was fresh out of college and living in southern California, I used to manage rock bands. One of my favorite things to do back then, was to go see the 80s groups at the Roxy and the House of Blues in Hollywood. I've seen Steel Panther so many times, and I love them! I love all things 80's hair metal! I listen to it a lot. It's catchy, and makes you want to dance. 80's music is the BEST music! :-D

* * *

"In they walk, holding hands, and wearing matching outfits. You two are so disgustingly cute, it makes me nauseous!" Doyle commented as Logan and Rory stepped off the elevator.

"Doyle, what's going on today?" Logan asked.

"You have a phone call."

"Already?! It's not even 8am!"

"You will want to take this one." Doyle said as he handed his cell phone over, and Logan notice that it was connected to facetime, with two adorable little faces staring at him.

"HAPPY BIRFDAY UNCA OGAN!" the twins excitedly shouted.

"Hey you guys! Thank you! I miss you!"

"Did you open our present?" little Bradley asked.

"You got me a present?! Where is it?"

"Daddy has it!" Catherine told him.

"It's right here." Doyle said holding out a gift bag for Logan to take.

"Hold on one second guys." Logan said as he handed the phone to Rory.

"Atty Ory!" the twins cheered.

"My babies! I love you guys! I miss you so much!"

"One second ok, Uncle Logan is going to open your present. I'm going to flip the camera, so you can watch." Rory told them as she hit the button to switch cameras.

"Oh goodness, look at this!" Logan said as he pulled his present out of the bag. It's an adorable picture of us together, and it says 'Our Second Favorite Doctor'! Thank you guys! But shouldn't I be your first favorite?"

"Mommy say she favorite!" Bradley told him.

"Well you tell Mommy that she needs to learn how to share!" Logan laughed. "Thank you guys so much! I love this! I'm going to go put it on my desk so I can see you every day, ok?"

"We luf you Unca Ogan!" the twins told him.

"I love you too guys! Here's your Daddy back, ok?"

"Bye babies! I'll see you soon!" Rory said as she flipped the camera back around and blew them a kiss. "I love you so much!"

"Thanks guys. Happy birthday Logan!" Doyle said as he took the phone back.

"Second favorite doctor . . . You know she had that custom made." Rory said as they walked into her office.

"It's definitely going to take some explaining any time somebody sees it." Logan chuckled.

"You've gotta love Paris!"

"It figures she would get me something that says second favorite."

"Hey, it's the thought that counts. At least she remembered your birthday."

"Second favorite though. I'll show her second favorite! I'll go corrupt those kids into throwing a massive fit about wanting me to be their doctor instead of whatever pediatrician Paris takes them to."

"Good luck with that one! That's guaranteed to start a fight, you know?"

"That's just fine. She can wait until Ayribella is born, and I'll get her something that says 'Second favorite auntie'. We'll see how much she likes being second place!"

"Logan, they're three. They have no idea what second favorite even means. Heck, they barely know what favorite means. Besides, you know that you're their favorite Uncle, so that has to count for something."

"I'm also their only Uncle."

"No, they have Josh."

"They barely know Josh."

"But you're still the favorite. Let that be enough."

"I don't like being second place."

"And Paris knows that, which is exactly why she decided to mess with you."

"Freaking Paris!"

"You have years to get back at her for it. Now come on, it's your big day, and we've got stuff to do." Rory said as grabbed her heels out of her purse, tucking the purse into her desk, then tossed her coat over the chair behind her desk. "Are you ready to head downstairs?"

"Yeah, do you want to leave your computer in here?"

"No, actually, I want to take it downstairs to your office, that way I have easy access to it in case I need anything."

"Good plan!" Logan agreed as he tossed his coat on Rory's chair, then grabbed her computer bag and his present, and followed her out of the office.

"Hey Doyle, we're heading downstairs to make sure everything is ready to go before ten. Is there anything that we should be aware of?" Rory asked as they stopped by Doyle's office on their way to the elevator.

"Press conference starts at 11, doors open at 10. You'll have some interviews to do for the press line outside, but we've got heaters going out there, so it shouldn't be too cold."

"So we are going to need our coats then."

"I would probably take them."

"I'll grab them. I'll grab your purse too. We might as well just stash everything in my office today. It might be easier."

"What about people going in and out of there?"

"I'm the one giving the tour, so the door will be locked." Logan told her as he headed back into Rory's office to grab their things.

"Your family should all be checking in before ten. Parting bags are prepped and ready for distribution."

"Parting bags?" Rory asked.

"They're goody bags. They have information about HPG in them, coupons from local businesses, and random give away stuff from the hospital."

"I didn't know that we were doing goody bags."

"It was a last minute decision."

"Hey Logan? Have you ever done press line interviews?"

"You haven't?" Logan asked.

"When would I have done them?"

"You didn't do them on the campaign train with Obama?"

"We went to all the rallies and wrote about the speeches and the issues."

"It's pretty easy. I'll help you through it. You basically stand outside and answer whatever questions each news station throws at you. It's basically what you see for the red carpet awards shows. You just walk down the line from one reporter to the next."

"Doyle? Who all is being interviewed?"

"Just you and Logan."

"Then why is there a press line?"

"Because that way we don't have to let everyone inside."

"How much press are we talking?"

"I honestly can't tell you. This is a national story. Every news station and paper in the tri-state area was invited. We own enough papers that obvious the story went out in all HPG papers this morning, and will be picked up on the AP wire this afternoon. But anyone who wants intimate details will be coming by for interviews."

"It'll be fine. I promise. It sounds way more intimidating than it is." Logan told her.

"That all starts at ten. I'll be there with you to move you along the line and keep track of time. You may get asked what design studio made your dress."

"I have no idea. My mom went shopping with Honor while I was napping a couple weeks ago. Do people really care about what I'm wearing?"

"They might."

"Just laugh it off and say it was a gift." Logan told her.

"See, Logan knows how to handle these things." Doyle pointed out.

"Logan was raised doing this stuff. This is my very first time."

"I promise you, it'll be fine. I'll be right there with you. You are over thinking things. Just try to relax." Logan said as he gently rubbed her back.

"So what is the schedule?" Rory asked.

"Doors open at ten, you do the press line, then come inside for the conference. You introduce yourself and explain what we do at HPG and why everyone is here today. Then you introduce Logan. There will be questions. You answer those. Then Honor wanted to say a few words, so you introduce her. She'll say her piece and invite everyone to the mixer directly after the press conference. You do the mixer, give tours of the clinic, and I'll get you out of there as soon as I can."

"How long is all of this supposed to last?"

"It could be hours. But at least the mixer should be more fun than usual with the added birthday festivities."

"What added festivities?"

"Your friends should all be here. Normally, these things are full of business associates and super boring. But with it being Logan's birthday, you should have some familiar faces to talk to. It won't be so dreary."

"This all sounds really stressfull all of a sudden."

"If it gets to be too much, we'll get you out of there. Give me a code word."

"A code word?"

"A random word that you can say that I will know means you need an out, but no one else will have any idea what it means."

"I have no idea."

"How about you start rubbing your arm. Like it's itching."

"You want me to scratch? In front of a bunch of complete strangers?!"

"Or rub your arm like it's cold. Maybe say something like 'it's awfully chilly out here'."

"How about this;" Logan started. "I'll be with you the entire time, and you just tap on me. If you're holding my hand, just tap your fingers against it. Whatever part of you is touching me, just tap me a few times, and I'll get you out of there as quickly as I can. I'll make up an excuse to leave if I have to. If you need a break, you tap me, and I'll find an escape route."

"You really think that will work?"

"It's fool proof. No one will even notice you doing it." Logan said as he slid his arm around Rory and tapped her back a couple times with his finger. "See? If you need an out, jut tap."

"Right now, I need coffee."

"There should be some down at reception for this morning's set up crew." Doyle told them. "You guys head downstairs, I'll meet you down there shortly."

"Thanks Doyle." Logan said as he reached for Rory's hand. "Let's go Ace. Everything will be fine. I promise!"

"How did everything suddenly get so stressful?"

"It will all be fine. I promise you it will. Just take a deep breath. I'm going to be right here, next to you the entire time."

"My anxiety is kicking in." Rory said as they stepped into the elevator.

"I can see that. Unfortunately for you, you're pregnant, so I can't exactly give you a Xanax to help you calm down. The best I can do is just be here. Try to relax ok? I'm going to be right here with you the entire time."

"What kind of questions am I going to be asked?"

"Nothing that you don't have an answer to. Probably mostly about the clinic. Maybe some personal ones. Probably some about my Dad. Maybe some future plans for the company. You are more than prepared for this. It'll be like a walk in the park for you. You are just over thinking everything right now. Let's get you some coffee. Everything is going to be just fine. I promise!"

"Happy birthday Doctor Huntzberger!" several voices said, echoing one after the other as Rory and Logan stepped off the elevator, and headed for his office.

"Thank you!" Logan said, waving as they walked by. "Hey Jerry, would you mind finding us some coffee?"

"Sure! Are you heading to your office?"

"Yes we are."

"I'll bring it right in." the man said as he hurried through the lobby.

"Looks like Carlos is prepping his team." Logan commented.

"Do you think they're ready?"

"Are you kidding? Those guys were born ready! We have the best security team in town."

"Logan, Rory, come join us!" Carlos called from across the Lobby when he spotted the heading for the clinic.

"Hey Carlos. Good morning everyone." Rory said as they approached the group.

"Good morning!" Carlos echoed. "For those of you who are new to us this morning, coming from other companies, this is Mrs. Huntzberger, and Doctor Huntzberger. This is their company. If they ask anything of you, no matter what it is, you take care of it. As you can see, Mrs. Huntzberger is pregnant. She should not be exerting herself in any way. If you see her lifting anything, please stop and help her out. Mrs. Huntzberger should also never be left alone today. Micah, Jeremy, Mrs. Huntzberger is your top priority today. If she needs coffee, you call over the radio to get it for her. If she needs help, you provide it. You both stay with her at all times. Jordan, Mr. Huntzberger is your responsibility. At least one of the three of you should be opening doors for the Huntzbergers, while the others follow Mr. and Mrs. Huntzberger into each room. I'm sure everything will go perfectly fine today, but should something happen, you need to have a clear escape path at all times. Unless there is a fire, or you need to evacuate the building, you take Mrs. Huntzberger to the security office. Logan will follow you. Even if something happens, and Logan ends up hurt, you get Mrs. Huntzberger to safety FIRST, then go back for her husband. Do you understand me?"

"Sir, yes Sir!" the three men spoke in unison.

"Alright, you three can follow the Huntzbergers. Now, as for the rest of you. I have all of your assignments."

"What do you think the likelihood is of something happening?" Rory asked as they walked toward the clinic with the three security officers behind them.

"Slim to none. Carlos always prepares his team for worst case scenario. But you heard him. Heaven forbid anything were to happen, you go with security, and I will find you."

"But what about . . ." Rory started, but Logan cut her off.

"No, no excuses. If something were to happen, you go with security, and I will find you. I want you safe." Logan told her. "You three, if something were to happen, you pick her up and you take her to safety. I don't care how much she protests, you just get her to safety."

"Yes Sir." the three men agreed.

"Here you go Doctor Huntzberger." Jerry said approaching the couple with two cups of coffee.

"Thank you Jerry! You are my favorite person in the whole world right now!" Rory said taking the coffee as Logan opened the clinic door to see balloons and birthday decorations all over the place.

"Really Ace?!" Logan chuckled

"I actually had nothing to do with this."

"Today is the grand opening. How in the world am I supposed to give tours with balloons all over the floor? We can't even walk in the door without stepping on them. Are you sure you are innocent in all of this? Because this has Rory Gilmore written all over it!"

"I wish I could take credit for it. The carpet of balloons is pretty genius!" Rory said kicking balloons out of her way as she headed for Logan's office.

"You really didn't do this?"

"Nope! There's no moose on the wall."

"Who would do this?!"

"I have a few guesses."

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" Logan asked as he opened his office door to see even more decorations all over the place. There were streamers taped up in a decorative pattern across the ceiling, balloons covering the floor, bouquets of Mylar balloons in a couple of corners and on his chair, happy birthday signs on the walls, confetti covering the desk, and presents on top of it. "What the hell?! It looks like a party store exploded in here!"

"So much for a professional grand opening." Rory laughed

"You really don't know who did this?"

"Nope, but there are presents, so let's see if there is a card."

"This had your name written ALL over it!"

"I promise Logan, I had nothing do with with it. You've been with me every second since we left here yesterday."

"Who else has access to this office?"

"I'm guessing someone bribed security to let them in."

"Call Carlos. I want to see the security footage."

"I'm not so sure he'll show it to you. Especially if he helped."

"I'll ask him myself." Logan said reaching for the phone, and quickly dialing a number.

"Security office."

"It's Doctor Huntzberger, my office has been vandalized. I need to know who did it."

"You're cute! It wasn't vandalized, and I know all about it. Happy birthday Doctor Huntzberger!" Carlos chuckled.

"I need names."

"Well, I'm not exactly at liberty to disclose those to you."

"So you were involved then."

"I'm not sure what you're getting at, but I suggest that you look at those closest to you."

"Rory swears she had nothing to do with it, and she's the only one with access."

"Are you sure about that? Because according to the computer, it was your badge that opened the door."

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" Logan said exasperated.

"Like I said, I would look at those closest to you."

"It was my sister, wasn't it?!"

"I'm sorry Logan, but I'm not at liberty to give you that information."

"But you can give it to me, can't you?" Rory asked.

"Is this an official investigation?"

"Does it need to be?"

"If I'm going to be turning over security footage."

"She threatened you if you ratted her out." Logan said, shaking his head. "That's fine Carlos. I'm not upset. Just amused. I'll handle my sister."

"It was a multiple person job. I'll tell you that much."

"Did Lorelai help?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"My mom was with us last night. But Sookie I wouldn't count out." Rory told him.

"Do you want me to send in janitorial to get it cleaned up before everything gets going this morning?" Carlos asked.

"I'm not sure . . . Is it appropriate for the grand opening of the clinic to look like a party store exploded in the office?"

"It definitely makes for an interesting story and pictures, and we are a major international newspaper publisher."

"Your Dad would have completely hated it." Rory added.

"We'll leave it then. Thank you Carlos." Logan said, then ended the call. "Freaking Honor!"

"Her birthday is coming up. We'll get revenge." Rory said as she cleared some space on the desk to set up her computer, and moved the balloons off the chair.

"I can't believe she did this. How in the world did she get access to my card?"

"Honor knows where we keep everything. I have no idea when she even had the chance to get to it, unless she did it in the middle of the night."

"I wouldn't put that past her."

"How is this stressing you out so much?"

"I don't know, I just need everything to go perfectly today. This is a really big day."

"You never stress out over anything."

"I know. This is crazy!"

"You need tunes." Rory said as she powered up her computer, and turned on some music.

"80's hair bands?"

"It's upbeat, happy and makes you want to move."

"Bon Jovi? Really?"

"Hey, I like Bon Jovi!" Rory said as she sat down, and pulled up her email.

"You and I have very different taste in music."

"I grew up with Lorelai Gilmore. I like fun stuff. You grew up with classic music that makes you want to sleep. I actually feel bad for you."

"It's relaxing."

"Because it bores you to death. This is relaxing and fun. It makes you want to party."

"Who are you?! I'm the party animal in this relationship."

"I'm really questioning your sanity right now. You really need to attend the Lorelai Gilmore school of music."

"The Lorelai Gilmore school of music? Really?!"

"You would have a much better appreciation and an ear for a much larger, more fun variety of music."

"You have issues."

"You are much too sheltered young man. Try moving around and enjoying yourself. It's upbeat. Dance a little bit. It'll make you feel better." Rory said turning the music up

Woah, we're half way there  
Woah, livin' on a prayer  
Take my hand, we'll make it I swear  
Woah, livin' on a prayer

Bon Jovi blared from the computer speakers as Rory bopped along, scrolling through her email, singing along to the music.

"I am really beginning to question who exactly I married." Logan laughed.

"Please, this isn't the first time I've blasted music around you."

"But this is the first time it's been 80s music. You're usually blasting some kind of metal something, or some angry chick music."

"You really need a musical education. What about this one?" Rory asked, switching the song, and beginning to sing.

This ain't a song for the broken-hearted  
No silent prayer for the faith-departed  
I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd  
You're gonna hear my voice  
When I shout it out loud

"You're insane!" Logan laughed.

"Oh come on. Live a little Huntzberger!" Rory said getting up from her seat and reaching for Logan's arms, trying to move them around to the beat of the music, making him dance around the office with her.

It's my life  
It's now or never  
I ain't gonna live forever  
I just want to live while I'm alive  
(It's my life)  
My heart is like an open highway  
Like Frankie said  
I did it my way  
I just want to live while I'm alive  
It's my life

"Seriously, who in the heck are you?!" Logan laughed as he watched Rory dancing around to the music, throwing balloons and confetti at him. "I don't even know you anymore."

"Come on, loosen up. It'll make you feel better. You are much too stressed out right now."

"You were just stressed out before we came down here."

"And now I'm not because I've got tunes, and I'm dancing around having a great time. Come on, come dance with me. No one else is here to see it. Loosen up a little bit."

"What other music do you have?"

"How about Def Leopard?" Rory asked switching the music again.

"Really Ace?!"

"Come on, Def Leopard is classic!"

"You've lost your mind!"

So c'mon, take a bottle, shake it up  
Break the bubble, break it up

Pour some sugar on me  
Ooh, in the name of love  
Pour some sugar on me  
C'mon, fire me up  
Pour your sugar on me  
I can't get enough

Rory sang out while scooping up a handful of confetti and dumping it on Logan's head.

"Oh, you're just asking for it now!"

"Yeah, I don't think so!"

"You just dumped confetti and glitter all over me!"

"Yeah, and what are you going to do about it?"

"You do realize that this crap breeds and moves, and that we'll never be able to get rid of all of it, right?"

"Yeah, but it's fun! Come on Logan. Loosen up." She said, reaching for another handful of confetti, and blowing it in his direction."

"Oh, you're going to pay for that one!" Logan said, grabbing her arm, then reaching for some confetti himself, dumping it on her head.

"We are going to be tracing this stuff all over the building!" Rory laughed as she tried reaching for another handful to throw at him.

"You throw one more handful of confetti at me, and you will pay for what you've done." Logan laughed.

"You promise? Because that sounds like fun to me, and you don't seem to like having fun today."

"Oh, I'll you fun when you're the one cleaning this mess up."

"Promises promises!" Rory laughed, blowing more confetti in his face.

"Oh that's it Gilmore! You're going down!"

"Whatever you say Huntzberger!" Rory laughed as they both threw confetti at each other.

"You are absolutely insane! We are never going to get all the confetti out of this office. We're going to be seeing it for months!"

"Yeah, but look how much fun you're having."

"The cleaning crew is going to hate us!"

"Probably. But it's Honor's fault. She's the one who vandalized your office."

"That's true! We should be throwing all of this at her." Logan laughed as the music changed again to a slower song. "Come here."

"No way! I know you!"

"No, for real. Come here. I'm not going to do anything. I promise." Logan said, holding his hand out.

"I don't believe you."

"Please?"

"No way. I know you better than that."

"Come on Ace. You wanted to dance, so come dance with me."

"I don't know if you can be trusted."

"My hands are empty." Logan said, holding his hands in the air. "Come on. Come dance with me."

"No funny business." Rory reluctantly agreed, placing her hand in Logan's as he pulled her closer, and positioned her arms around his neck as they began to sway to the music.

"I promise."

"You have glitter and confetti all over you."

"So do you."

"It's in my bra."

"And who's fault is that?!" Logan chuckled as the words to Thank You For Loving me began to play through the office.

It's hard for me to say the things  
I want to say sometimes  
There's no one here but you and me  
And that broken old street light  
Lock the doors  
We'll leave the world outside  
All I've got to give to you  
Are these five words when I  
Thank you for loving me  
For being my eyes  
When I couldn't see  
For parting my lips  
When I couldn't breathe  
Thank you for loving me  
Thank you for loving me

"You look beautiful. Even covered in glitter and confetti."

"We made such a mess."

"You started it."

"But you had fun didn't you?"

"You are completely crazy . . . But yes. This little bit of insanity was exactly what I needed."

"See, I told you that you just needed to loosen up a little bit."

"I love you."

"Even though you think that I'm completely crazy?"

"Even though I KNOW that you are completely crazy."

"You taught me how."

"This is a great birthday so far. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Rory smiled, as she brushed some confetti off Logan's shirt.

"You know how much I love you, right?"

"I do. And I love you too." Rory said as Logan cupped her face with his hands, and kissed her passionately.

"Alright lovebirds, break it up!" Lorelai's voice broke through the air a moment later.

"Hey, how'd you get in here?" Rory asked.

"The beefcakes at the door said you were in here, so I offered to bring them cookies if they let me in. What the hell happened in here? You two are covered in glitter!"

"It's a long story!" Logan chuckled, stepping away from his wife, and turning the music down.

"A certain sister stole Logan's security card and vandalized his office overnight. We were both a little stress out with everything going on today, so I turned some music on, and I was trying to get Logan to loosen up and dance around to 80s hair bands with me."

"And you ended up having a glitter fight." Lorelai finished for her.

"Pretty much."

"You realize that you have about two hours before you have to face the press, right? And you have glitter and confetti all over you!"

"It's in my bra."

"That sounds like a personal problem."

"Will you at least help me get it out of my hair?"

"I hope you both realize that this wasn't exactly the best way to spend your time this morning."

"Are you really lecturing us right now?!" Rory asked.

"Because this vandalism has your name written all over it!"

"It does not!"

"It does so! But we can't prove that you did it because Carlos refuses to name the guilty parties."

"I didn't do it."

"But you know who did."

"I might have a couple names for you."

"And those names are?"

"I might have gotten a call from a couple nurses at the hospital last week, and given them Honor's information."

"Which nurses?" Logan asked.

"I'm not supposed to tell you."

"Blink if we guess right." Rory told her.

"It was Veronica, wasn't it?" Logan asked, watching as Lorelai blinked her eyes several times. "Which means that Lauren, Amanda and Ashley were all in on it."

"I can't verify the last three."

"Well, the good news is that Veronica starts here on Monday. And payback is a bitch!"

"You didn't hear any of this from me! Keep my name out of it!" Lorelai told them.

"I don't have any idea what you are talking about." Rory told her.

"Good girl!"

"You have a brush in your purse, right?"

"I do. But your perfect curls are going to be destroyed."

"That's ok, you'll still make sure I look picture perfect."

"I can definitely do that." Lorelai confirmed. "However, your hair is another story." she said, looking toward Logan.

"He's picky about his hair."

"I know he is. I think I have some tweezers. We can pick the big stuff out piece by piece. But the glitter is going to be stuck there."

"Your daughter is evil!"

"He needs an education from the Lorelai Gilmore school of music."

"Oh really?! "

"Someone was too sheltered, and raised on boring instrumental stuff."

"Yikes!"

"Exactly!" Rory laughed.

"Well, the good news about that is that I'm here now, and your musical education starts right this second! Rory, turn on some Go-Gos. Logan, sit your hiney down in this chair, and we'll start picking all the confetti out of your hair while educating you on all things awesome." Lorelai instructed them.


	57. Chapter 57

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! I am so glad you guys are loving this story! Your kind words mean a lot to me. Thank you so much!

* * *

"Mrs. Huntzberger, what would you say has been your biggest struggle since coming to HPG?" a reporter asked as Rory and Logan tackled the press line outside the office.

"Honestly, I've had it pretty easy here. I have a wonderful team in place that I was pretty much able to hand pick. When I was asked to step in when my father in-law had his first heart attack, Logan and I sat down and discussed everything he thought I would need. I was able to immediately hire a friend of mine from when I worked at the Yale Daily News. We were both editors of the paper, and he was working for USA Today, so I knew that bringing him in with me would be extremely beneficial. With both of our past experience, with me having been at the Times, we just make an amazing team. And I of course have Logan's lifetime of experience with the company to fall back on. We really have some amazing teams in place here, and they've made my transition super easy." Rory answered

"Have you had to make any staffing changes?"

"I haven't had to make too many. The biggest change has been that it has taken several people to replace Mitchum. He did so much for this company, that I have had to add several people to help me cover all of the work he did every day."

"Do you speak to Mitchum often? Has he been helping to train you to take on your new position?"

"I actually see Mitchum almost every day, but we don't discuss work at all. As a family, we've decided that it is in Mitchum's best interest to remain distanced from all things business. We don't want to jeopardize his recovery in any way. Logan has taken over his phone and computer, and we've been fielding all of the calls and emails he received. Everything goes through the two of us. Stressing Mitchum out with business isn't at all conductive to his healthy and continued recovery. We have to put him, and our family's future first, so we've chosen to more or less live two completely separate lives. When we are home, or with family, business is the very last thing on our minds. Luckily, separating the two has been pretty easy for us to do."

"So you haven't had any help from the former CEO at all?"

"Not at all."

"Do you get along well with your new family? You and Logan are newlyweds, right?"

"We are technically, but we've been together on and off for a really long time. We've all known each other since Logan and I were in college, and Logan's family has been friends with mine since way before that. We've of course all had our differences over the years, but we work really well together. We're family. Logan and his sister are incredibly close. We actually live across the street from her, and Mitchum has been staying with her throughout his treatment, so we are all together a lot. Definitely more than I ever expected us to be."

"Do your families get along well?"

"They actually really do. My grandfather recently joined our board here at HPG. Him and my Grandmother have been friends with Mitchum and his wife for a couple decades. My Grandfather is an incredible businessman himself, so having his expertise on our board has been invaluable! And my parents are just amazing! My Mom and I are extremely close, and she's now super close with Logan's sister as well."

"It's like having a second set of parents that I never realized I needed." Logan added. "Rory's family is absolutely amazing. We are so lucky to have them."

"What made you decide to open a medical clinic here at HPG?" the reporter asked.

"Actually, that is kind of a crazy story." Rory started. "We were at a family party over the Thanksgiving holiday, and my mom's business partner who is basically my aunt, and helped raise me, was telling us about these big companies she had been hearing about who were opening private medical clinics for their employees, where the employees were able to receive all the same services that they would at any other doctor, but they didn't have to pay even half as much as they would with other practices. It was very interesting to hear about how they were working things, and allowing their employees time off work to see the doctor. Most of the companies require their employees to use their breaks and clock out for medical appointments."

"Rory and I loved the idea of providing convenient medical care for our employees, but we wanted to be different than the other companies. We wanted to go above and beyond for our employees, so we decided that while we are providing them with the convenience of medical care, and the added benefit of it being at a much lower cost than they would pay going elsewhere, we decided to give them their treatment while they are on the clock. They can still use their breaks to get treatment, but they are not required to clock out. We've also installed a program on our computers that allows all or our employees to schedule their appointments right from their desk, and then sends each appointment right to my phone. That way, if I am out of the office, whether I am upstairs helping Rory and her team out, or if I am out of the office working in the hospital, I still get an alert on my phone, telling me when I need to be back to see a patient. It also allows me to schedule my time off around when my patients need me." Logan added

"So this clinic is only for employees then? It's not open to the community?"

"We've partnered with Columbia University and Columbia Presbyterian Hospital to open the clinic, so those are the employees we will be accepting. Any employee of the University, the hospital, or HPG can come get mecial care from us, and also bring their family. When Rory and I got married, and combined our insurance policies, we realized that both companies use the same insurance provider, so when we were looking into partnering with the hospital, we went to the insurance company and presented our idea to them, asking if there was something that we could do that would mutually benefit all of us. Luckily the insurance company has experience with exactly this type of situation, so they were more than happy to adjust the company plans to accommodate us."

"So you haven't always worked for HPG then?"

"Not always. I actually hadn't been an active employee in about nine years, until recently. I was raised in the HPG offices both here and in Hartford, and I worked in the London office for a year, but I left after graduating from college, and hadn't been employed here since then. I've been a Columbia Presbyterian employee for the last five years."

"When did you come back to HPG?"

"I came back with Rory. Originally, I wanted nothing to do with the family business, and having Rory take over was my way of ensuring the the company was in capable hands, without me having to even think about it. It gave me the distance that I needed when my Dad got sick. I love being a doctor, and I didn't want to give up my life or my career, to step in for my Dad, and run this place. I've spent so many years of my life here, and I just wasn't interested in coming back. I brought Rory in to take over because she is the one person who I know incredibly well, and who I know is more than capable of handling running this business, and not running all of my family's decades of hard work, directly into the ground. I knew that the business would be safe with Rory at the helm. But then someone needed to train Rory, and that fell on me. I was the only one other than my Dad, with the experience to train her. I came back on board, originally just to help train Rory. For the past several months I've been working full-time both here and at the hospital."

"Wow! That sounds pretty insane!"

"It definitely has been. We worked it out so I was working three days a week in each place. But then I also was working at home with Rory when we weren't in the office. It's been a lot! So actually opening this clinic is a very welcome change. I get to work full-time in one place instead of two, but I can still do both jobs. I am always on call for my patients, but when I have down time, I can still help Rory out if she needs it."

"What hours will the clinic be open?"

"We will be open the exact same hours as the office. 9am-5pm every day. But I may start occasionally taking patients as early as 8am since Rory and I are usually here at that time anyway. We are trying to make ourselves as accessible to our employees as we can, so if they need us, and we aren't doing anything else, they will be able to come right in."

"Will you still be working in the hospital at all?"

"Only on occasion. I've been working in the emergency room for the last several years, and everyone there knows that if they need help, they can call me. I love working there, so I would never completely leave. If my old team needs my help, I will gladly go back. It just won't be every day the way it used to be."

"Where did you get your medical training?"

"I got it all right here from Columbia. I have a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Yale University, but I went to medical school at Columbia."

"What certifications do you have?"

"I have a PhD in Immunology and Genetics, and an MD in Internal Medicine."

"You are just keeping it all in the family then."

"I really am. I was raised in a family that put a major emphasis on working together and supporting each other. Family is very important to me. I was brought up in HPG and even though I did leave it for a while, it is still my family's business, and I've always known that I will never fully be rid of it. My father always told everyone that when he retired, I would be the one taking over. I obviously have had much different plans, but I've always known that I can't ever possibly be completely through with HPG. I've been a shareholder since the day I was born, and had to attend shareholder meetings my entire life. I was raised to be loyal. Columbia gave me the education and training that I needed to become a doctor, and I loved working in the hospital through my residency. I have no reason to ever want to leave. Everyone I've worked with has been wonderful. We've become one big family. By partnering with Columbia to open the clinic, I've been able to combine the two things that make me who I am."

"What services will your patients have available to them?"

"We will be providing the exact same services as every other medical clinic you could go to. We have portable x-ray and ultrasound equipment, so we will able to provide those without having to send our patients elsewhere, as well as vaccines, stitches, casting, and laboratory testing. The only thing we don't have in office is our own laboratory, but we have a courier service that will be picking up for us twice a day, and delivering directly to the hospital lab. Any testing that needs to be done, we can have results usually within 24 hours. We will be able to run flu, strep and iron testing in office, but anything that needs to go to the lab will usually take about 24 hours. If any of our patients need to be referred to a specialist, we will be able to send them to one of the 60 different specialty departments at the hospital. We won't ever have to refer patients anywhere outside of our hospital system. Our computers are all synced up, so the referrals will go right through the very same day, and usually our patients will be able to make an appointment with whatever specialist they need, the very next day. I of course, can't guarantee the availability of appointments as specialty doctors are often booked out several weeks in advance, but the patients will definitely be able to call to schedule an appointment within 12-24 hours of receiving their referral."

"That is pretty quick! Most places take at least a week or two to process referrals."

"It can definitely be a long wait going out of network, but we take pride in providing the best possible care for our patients, and being able to expedite specialty referrals gives patients every reason to remain in our network. The other added benefit of remaining in network is that all of our patient information remains in one simplified computer system, so any doctor that you see has full access to your medical history. They can see every medication that you are currently taking and have taken in the past, and they can read the notes about what has and hasn't worked for you from time to time. There is no need for us to have to request your records from anywhere else, and then have to try to make sense of what other doctors have done and why. We can easily communicate with other providers within our own network about what the best plan of care is for each individual patient."

"That is amazing! You definitely don't get that going anywhere else."

"Here at HPG we take pride is going above and beyond for our employees, and that is what I love about being a Columbia employee as well. The hospital has always taken care of me. My wife and I both see doctors within the Columbia network. They've been absolutely wonderful to us. We have no reason to want to go elsewhere, and we want to provide that to all of our employees and patients as well."

"Rory, what do you think of the services that you've been provided at Columbia?"

"They are absolutely incredible! My first experience with Columbia was actually back in September when I had an accident at work, and had to be transported via ambulance. I had to get a blood transfusion, x-rays, and MRI, stitches, and a cast for two weeks. I had an absolutely wonderful doctor in the emergency room who took the most amazing care of me, and an incredible nurse. I was covered in blood and probably looked pretty zombie like, but they were all so wonderful to me. They referred me to an orthopedic specialist who took great care of me, and I've made a full recovery. There have been zero lingering concerns."

"What doctors have you seen over there? Anyone that you would recommend?"

"Well, of course there is this guy right here." Rory blushed, looking over at her husband as he slid an arm around her. "He was the first doctor to see me in the emergency room, within seconds of my arrival. I knew him from college, but we hadn't seen each other in years until that day. He was pretty shocked to see me, but he was so gentle and absolutely amazing! He did his best to make sure I was comfortable, and explained everything to me, making sure that I understood it all. He even stitched me up and casted me himself. I've also been seen by doctor Greenley and Doctor Gellar, who I am actually really good friends with. Doctor Gellar is a great OBGYN. I highly recommend her for anyone who may be in need. We've been friends since high school and she is wonderful! Doctor Levan I've worked with as well, and he is the nicest guy in the world. Also doctor Johnson. I know them the best. But there are so many others. I've never heard anything bad about anyone in the Columbia system. Every employee there is so nice and extremely knowledgeable and helpful. I would see anyone there, for whatever I needed."

"So you married your emergency room doctor?"

"I did. I'm guilty as charged." Rory chuckled. "We dated for 3 years in college, so it's not like being together was anything new. We used to be very close, but had lost contact for a long time, until we suddenly ran into each other again. Things just worked out for us. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and I guess we were just ready to take the next step."

"Three years is a really long time to date. Most people are usually married within a year of dating. Did you guys ever consider marriage when you were together previously.

"We did . . ." Rory answered, looking at Logan.

"I actually asked her to marry me once before." Logan explained. "We just weren't ready back then. We were both young and immature. We needed time to grow up, and figure out who we both were as people before being ready to get married. We knew that we loved each other, but we were young, and we both had our own ideas of how our lives were supposed to go. We needed our time apart to grow as adults, and to figure out who we are and what we want for ourselves. Rory went on to work on the campaign train with President Obama, then worked as a writer and editor for the New York Times, and I moved to California to be a part of a major tech start up, before leaving to attend medical school. If we had gotten married back then, we wouldn't be who we are today. We wouldn't have the knowledge and experiences that we have now. And who knows if our marriage would have worked out. Like every couple, we had our differences, and we've definitely had some issues. But because we took that time apart, we've been able to grow as people, and it's allowed us to figure out how to better meld our lives together. Our relationship now is completely different than it was back in college. It's better, and so much stronger. We are both completely different people now than we were back then."

"How long have you been married?"

"Four months." Rory smiled.

"You said that you ran into each other back in September?"

"We did." Logan confirmed. "Our marriage was quick, but then again, it was twelve years in the making. It was one of those things that just didn't seem right to wait for. We were both ready, and knew what we wanted, and we didn't feel like waiting anymore. We got engaged, and then late one night we decided that if we were going to have the big wedding that both of our families expected of us, it was going to be at least another year before we would be able to get married, and we just didn't want to wait anymore. We decided that what we wanted was to be together, so we got on a plane, and eloped. It's the best decision we've ever made."

"And I see that you guys are now expecting a little one too?" the reporter asked, gesturing to Rorys stomach.

"Yes, we are." Rory smiled, placing her hands over her stomach.

"When are you due?"

"Early summer."

"No specific date?"

"Sorry, we are keeping all details strictly for family." Logan told her. "Our lives are public enough as it is. Everything we've done since Rory stepped up to take over HPG has become tabloid fodder. But this," he said, laying a hand over Rory's on her stomach. "This is just for us. It's the one thing that we've decided to keep private, and only share with those closest to us. And we hope that everyone can please respect that. We appreciate all the love and support that we've received the last several months, it truly means a lot to our family. But this one thing, we really want to keep just for us. We'll of course print an announcement in all of the Huntzberger papers when the baby is born, but we do ask for everyone's respect for our privacy during this pregnancy, and after the baby is born. We share enough of our lives with the public, but our baby deserves anonymity. They didn't ask to be thrown into the public eye, and to be tabloid fodder. They don't deserve that. So we're sorry, but this baby is just for us."

"I am so sorry to do this, but I need to get Rory and Logan inside. The press conference is getting ready to start." Doyle said interrupting them.

"I'm so sorry, please excuse us." Rory smiled, then turned to face Doyle, mouthed a 'thank you', took Logan's hand and headed inside.

"Rory!" Emily called out as soon as she saw her Granddaughter walk in the door.

"Hey Grandma! Thank you so much for coming today!" Rory said giving her hug.

"Happy birthday Logan!"

"Thank you!" Logan said hugging Emily as well.

"I saw you guys outside when we first got here. We would have said hi then, but we didn't want to interrupt your interviews."

"You feel free to interrupt any time you want!" Logan told her.

"You two have glitter all over you."

"Yeah, we might have gotten in a fight with confetti earlier." Rory told her.

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, this is a very important day for your husband! You two should be ashamed of yourselves! You need to look presentable for this!"

"It's fine Emily, it's my birthday, we're allowed to celebrate a little bit. It's only a little bit of glitter and I doubt anyone else will even notice." Logan told her.

"Plus, it's festive to be glittered up for a birthday." Rory added. "We got all the confetti off, but glitter clings."

"The two of you act like such children sometimes."

"I blame Honor! She's the one who snuck into my office, and made it look like a party store exploded." Logan told her.

"In your office?"

"Yep. The clinic where we are supposed to be giving tours. Some little vandals snuck in late last night and decorated for my birthday. There are balloons and stuff everywhere!"

"Oh no! Can we run in there and get it all cleaned up really quick?"

"It would take much too long. We thought about it. But right now, it's kind of amusing to us. Mitchum will completely hate it, so we've decided that in honor of Logan's birthday we are just going to leave it all there, and laugh off the birthday prank to anyone who comments. We like doing things differently than the other staunchy stuffy businesses. Birthday décor at a grand opening is completely unheard of. But we're celebrating both today, so the party explosion gets to stay."

"What in the world are we going to do with the two of you?!"

"It'll be completely fine Grandma. You'll see." Rory told her.

"Logan!" Honor's voice rang out from across the lobby.

"Oh look, it's the little vandal herself!" Logan laughed as Honor hurried toward them.

"Hey Honor. Thanks for coming." Rory said giving her a hug.

"I hear the two of you enjoyed your office this morning." Honor laughed.

"You suck!" Logan said hugging his sister. "Payback is coming!"

"What are you talking about? You can't prove that it was me." Honor told him.

"I was told that it was my security card that opened the door. The only person who had access to that card, and was unaccounted for last night, was YOU! We know that it was you. We also know that you had several accomplices in the form of nurses."

"How!?"

"Said nurses called my mom last week." Rory told her. "Mom wouldn't name any names, but she did confirm that your information was given to the accomplices, which completely incriminates you."

"At least it wasn't Carlos who ratted us out."

"Carlos refused. He just said that the computer showed that it was my card that opened the door, and that we needed to look to those closest to us to find the criminals." Logan told her.

"Dang! You guys are hard to outsmart!"

"Payback!" Logan said again.

"Logan, son, Happy birthday!" Richard said as he joined the group, and holding an envelope out. "This is for you."

"Thank you Richard! Thanks for being here today."

"I'm surprised to see your parents here."

"Wait, what?!"

"Your parents, both of them, are right over there." Richard said, pointing across the lobby.

"Honor! I agreed to Dad coming, but you didn't say anything about Mom! What is she doing here?!" Logan asked.

"Logan, before you get upset, Mom's therapist, Gayle, is here too. This was totally a last minute thing. They came to me about it yesterday. I didn't want to say anything to you, because it means a lot to Mom to be here for you today. She's been talking about it with Gayle all week, and I just couldn't say no. After everything that happened last week, Mom REALLY wanted to do this, and Gayle was ok with it as long as she could come too, to help Mom through all of it. I bought their plane tickets, and they are going back first thing tomorrow morning. Please don't be upset. This is a really good thing."

"I wish you had told me."

"I know, but it's your birthday, and they wanted to surprise you. I picked them up at the airport late last night, and took them to the house, then came straight here today. Please, promise me you will at least pretend to not be upset with them."

"It's fine. I just wish I had known. I don't like being blindsided." Logan told her. "I'm sorry Emily, Richard, will you excuse us? We need to go say hi to my mom before everything starts."

"No, of course! Your mom looks fabulous! You two go. We'll see you in there." Emily said as Logan reached for Rory's hand, then headed toward where his parents were talking with a couple friends.

"Mom, Dad, it's nice to see you today!" Logan said interrupting everyone.

"Logan! Happy birthday Sweetie!" Shira gushed, throwing her arms around her son.

"Thanks Mom! What are you doing here?! We are surprised to see you."

"Oh Honey, I couldn't possibly miss your big day. Gayle and I worked things out so we could both be here to see you open your clinic today. We leave early tomorrow morning, but we wanted to be here for your big day."

"Hey Gayle." Rory greeted. "How was your flight?"

"It wasn't too bad at all. A little crowded, but not too bad."

"Oh excellent! Thank you so much for bringing Shira out here! We are shocked, but today is such a big day for this family, and we are so glad everyone was able to make it to be here for Logan."

"Yes, of course! This is all Shira has talked about all week. She really wanted to be here."

"Well thank you so much. It means a lot to us."

"Of course Honey. It's my pleasure. It's really nice to see you all again."

"Son, Happy Birthday!" Mitchum said patting Logan on the shoulder. "Are you ready for your big day?"

"I am. We've been really busy all week, trying to get ready."

"Can I ask why you are covered in glitter?"

"You should ask your daughter that. Apparently she decided to break into and vandalize my office late last night. It looks like a party store exploded in it."

"Your office?"

"My brand new clinic. It's covered in streamers, balloons, and all kinds of birthday party décor."

"But you cleaned it up before everyone arrived, right?"

"Nope! It's all still there."

"Logan Elias Huntzberger!"

"Geez, you and Emily today! It's fine Dad. It's not so bad. We are just going to laugh it all off as a silly birthday prank for anyone who comments. If it wasn't my birthday, this whole thing would be incredibly tacky, but being a birthday celebration as well as a grand opening, it just makes things more festive. It will all be fine. I promise!"

"I hope you both know what you are doing."

"We do. Everything is great Dad. I promise! If it wasn't, I wouldn't have let you come today."

"I promise Mitchum. Everything is going to be great. I've got everything fully under control. You just sit back and try to enjoy yourself, ok?" Rory told him. "Can we get you anything to help you feel more comfortable? We've got coffee, donuts, cookies? What would you like?"

"Coffee might be nice."

"No problem. Gayle, Shira, would you like coffee, cookies, a donut? What can I get for you ladies?" Rory asked.

"Some coffee would be great. Thank you Rory." Gayle answered.

"Just water for me." Shira told her.

"I'll be right back." Rory told them.

"Logan, Honey, I'm sure you already know this, but the CEO shouldn't be fetching drink orders at events. Especially not this one." Shira whispered to Logan, latching onto his arm.

"We are doing things differently here now, Mom. It's fine. Everyone loves and respects Rory because she helps out and leads by example. Don't worry about it. Just try to enjoy yourself, ok? Excuse me for a moment, there is something that I need to go talk to."


	58. Chapter 58

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy. The covid numbers where I live are spiking like crazy! Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public!

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! I am so glad you guys are loving this story! Your kind words mean a lot to me. Thank you so much!

* * *

"Hey, are you guys ready for this?" Doyle asked, pulling Logan and Rory aside as everyone headed into the press room.

"Do we really have a choice?" Rory asked.

"You did really well outside. You guys got a few tough questions, but you handled everything very well. This should be even easier."

"What exactly is the plan here?" Logan asked.

"As of right now, everything will go the same as our original plan. Rory welcomes everyone to HPG and introduces you. You step up and explain the clinic. You can say as little or as much as you want to, but you need to be aware that the less information you share, the more questions you will have to answer afterward. When you are done, Honor wanted to say a few words, so we'll let her do her thing, then we'll open the floor up for questions, unless you guys think that it would be better to take questions before Honor speaks."

"What is Honor planning to say?"

"I honestly have no idea. She hasn't told me anything other than that she wants a minute to speak."

"So then maybe we should take questions first? Logan, what do you think?" Rory asked.

"I have no idea, but we can do whatever you want. It's your company, so it's your decision."

"How am I supposed to make this decision? I don't have any experience doing this kind of stuff."

"It's up to you Rory, we can do whatever you want." Doyle told her.

"Where is my Grandpa? I want his opinion on this."

"Do you want me to go grab him for you?"

"Would you mind?"

"No problem, I'll be right back." Doyle said, then hurried away.

"So you want Richard to make the decision for you?" Logan asked.

"Well . . . Maybe? I don't know, I want his opinion. My Grandpa is really good at this kind of stuff, and I'm just not. Plus, he's on the board, and he'll be able to give us a good idea of what the board and everyone else will expect, and want to hear from us."

"So you want Richard to make the decision for you."

"My Grandpa is a professional at this kind of stuff. I think that getting his opinion is a really good idea."

"I thought you said that I was a professional at this stuff."

"Well you aren't being helpful right now."

"I think that you're over thinking things."

"How am I over thinking things?"

"Rory, you are stressing out over when to take questions from the press."

"This is a really important day for you, and I just want to do what is best."

"You are over thinking things."

"Hey Honey, Doyle said you needed my advice." Richard said, finding Rory and Logan in a corner outside the press room.

"Hey Grandpa, we need to know when a good time is to take questions."

"A good time to take questions? Alright, walk me through the schedule here."

"Doyle said that I'm supposed to welcome everyone and introduce Logan. Then Logan steps up and tells about the clinic. After that Honor wants to say a few words, but we don't know what she is planning on saying, so we aren't sure if we should take questions first, or have Honor speak first. Logan says that I'm over thinking things, but he won't give me any kind of opinion on what he thinks is best."

"Because I don't think that it matters either way." Logan commented.

"So I need your opinion on what you think would work best. Would it be better to take questions after Logan finishes, or would it be best to do it after Honor? What is your personal opinion, and what is your opinion as a board member? And what information do you think is pertinent that we need to make sure to cover. What questions do you think people are going to ask? Is there anything that you think we shouldn't say?"

"Ok, Rory, Honey, I honestly agree with Logan, and think that you need to calm down a little bit. There honestly isn't anything for you to really worry about here. You are more than prepared for this. You just did an amazing job out on the press line, all you really have to do is repeat what you just did. You can take questions at whatever point you want to. It doesn't really matter at all. There are both pros and cons for taking questions at either point in the conversation. But since we don't know what Honor is planning to say, maybe you should wait to take questions until she's finished, just in case. You don't really want to have to take questions twice, so while it would be pretty easy to open the floor up as soon as Logan finishes, it might be better to wait until Honor is finished, just in case her words inspire other questions."

"So you are saying that we should wait then."

"I think that it is completely up to you, but that maybe it would be better to wait, given that there could be additional questions wanting to be asked after Honor finishes, if you decided to take questions first."

"Ok, so Honor first, questions second."

"Rory, you are more than ready for this. You've been preparing for weeks. There is absolutely no reason for you to be so stressed out. You need to calm down, ok? Stressing out like this isn't good for you, and it's definitely not good for the baby. Let's take a deep breath, ok? Inhale . . . Count to ten . . . 1 . . . 2 . . .3 . . . 4. . . 5 . . . 6 . . . 7 . . . 8 . . . 9 . . . 10 . . . Alright, exhale slowly. Count to ten again . . . 1 . . . 2 . . .3 . . . 4. . . 5 . . . 6 . . . 7 . . . 8 . . . 9 . . . 10 . . . Good, good. Are you feeling any better?"

"A little bit."

"Everything is going to be just fine, alright? I promise you. This is just your anxiety kicking in. Everything is going to be alright. You can do this. And I am going to be right here with you the entire time. Just try to relax."

"I'm trying. Thank you Grandpa."

"It's my pleasure Sweetheart. You are going to do just fine today. Just trust your gut, alright?"

"I'm trying. Thank you so much for being here Grandpa. It really means a lot to me."

"You are very welcome Sweetie. Now, let's get you in there. Come on, I'll walk you in." Richard said, offering Rory his arm, and escorting her into the press room, with Logan following behind them.

"Good morning everyone!" Rory said as she stepped up to the podium a few minutes later, to start the morning's press conference. "Thank you so much for joining us this morning! It's a pretty chilly day here in New York, so we definitely appreciate you all braving the cold to be here. Today is a really big day at HPG, and an even bigger one for the Huntzberger family. Today we celebrate two big events. Not only are we opening our very own medical clinic where we will provide low cost medical care for all of our wonderful, invaluable employees, but we are also celebrating the birthday of the doctor who will be running that clinic. Twelve years ago, when I first met my husband, and was introduced to the Huntzberger family, none of us ever would have expected to be here today. No one in this family ever expected anyone in the Huntzberger family to go to medical school. Heck, had you told any of us that within 8 years, Logan would become a doctor, I think that even Logan would have laughed in your face. But here we are today, and not only is Logan an incredible doctor, but we are opening his very own clinic, right here at the Huntzberger Publishing Group. I can't possibly say enough about what an amazing man my husband is, and just how proud of him we all are. But the one thing that I can tell you, is just how excited I am to be here with him today. I am only here with all of you, because of Logan. When Mitchum got sick and someone needed to step in to run HPG, no one expected it to be me. Especially not me! Most people actually expected it to be Logan. But in true Logan fashion, Logan had other ideas. Logan has a career that he absolutely loves. A career that he is good at. A career where Logan saves lives every single day . . . A career that this family is incredibly proud of! In the twelve years since I met Logan, he's gone from being the irresponsible self-centered frat boy that a lot of us in this room couldn't stand, to the most amazing, completely selfless man and wonderful doctor that he is today. Twelve years ago, if you had told me that I would someday marry Logan Huntzberger, I would have laughed in your face. But today, I couldn't possibly ask for a better husband. Logan, I am so unbelievably proud of you. You have accomplished the unimaginable, and you do it all with unwavering grace and dignity. While I will always question where the heck you get all of your endless energy, I will never question your love and devotion to not just your family, but also to your patients. We are all incredibly lucky and grateful to have your in our lives, and we are so excited for you to be taking this huge step in your career. So, without further ado, to tell you all about our brand new Huntzberger clinic, it is my pleasure to introduce you all to the pride and joy of the Huntzberger family. My amazing husband, Doctor Logan Huntzberger." Rory proudly stepped back, and held her arm out toward Logan as the crowd applauded.

"You are incredible!" Logan whispered, giving Rory a quick hug and kiss, before stepping up to the podium. "Stay with me."

"Ok."

"Isn't she beautiful? I'm the luckiest man in the world!" Logan said proudly, looking to his side. "Thank you all so much for being here today! As my wife just said, never in a million years did anyone in this family ever expect me to go to medical school. Twelve years ago, even my parents considered me to be the family screw up. But things change, and I think I've more than blown everyone's minds with everything that I've accomplished. Medical school was never a goal of mine. It was never something that I wanted for myself. Heck, I never really had a desire to even go to college. It was just something that was expected of me. My entire life, it was drilled into my head that I would someday graduate from Yale University, and then take over HPG when my Dad decided to retire. My future was predestined, and set in stone. But as Rory said, in true slacker Logan fashion, I of course had other plans. Nine years ago, I got this completely insane idea, and decided that I wanted to go to medical school, and become a doctor. As I was sitting home with Honor one night, moping about what a complete disaster my life was, and how all of my friends had these great careers, but here I was, doing nothing, it was my sister who gave me the reality check that I needed. I was having a pity party for myself, because once again, slacker Logan had blown everything up. Everything good that I had going for myself, I had blown to pieces. It was my pattern. It's what I did best. But as I was sitting there being miserable, my amazing sister, Honor, told me that if I wanted to fix things, I needed to get my act together, and actually do something to better myself. She told me that I could go back to school and figure out what I wanted to be, and where I wanted my life to go. I could pick my own career, doing anything I wanted. I could be an astronaut, a pilot, a doctor, an engineer . . . And it got me thinking. I had a friend going to medical school. Doctor Paris Gellar. Paris had dreamed about going to medical school, her entire life. And like her best friend Rory when we first met, Paris completely hated me. Paris even told me so. I was a spoiled, worthless jerk. A complete waste of a trust fund. But somehow that fueled me. If Paris could go to medical school, why couldn't I? My grades were just as good as hers. I couldn't possibly let Paris and her self-righteous attitude show me up, could I? I couldn't let her be right about me being pathetic and worthless. I had to be better than that. I needed to pull myself up, and do more with my life than just mope around my sister's house, feeling sorry for myself. So I took Paris to lunch, and she laughed in my face. Paris didn't believe that I had what it takes to go to medical school. She knew my past, and she had watched me blow things up in spectacular fashion. Paris knew that I couldn't hack it, because I wasn't her. But Paris' words somehow fueled me. I couldn't let Paris be right about anything. I had to do everything in my power to prove her wrong. So I went to medical school. I stayed up all night studying. I even begged Paris to help me. She of course made me majorly kiss up to her, and basically treated me like her lap dog. But I did it. I got through school. Paris became an Obstetrician and Gynecologist, working in her own practice at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. I of course had no interest in majoring in the same field as her, so I got my PhD in Immunology and Genetics, and an MD in Internal Medicine, and I started my residency at Columbia Presbyterian, where I got to spend time learning different areas of the hospital while I figured out exactly what it was that I wanted to do with my degree, and where I wanted my career to go. Somehow I fell in love with working in the emergency room. Every day was a different adventure. I got to work with patients who were sick, patients who chopped their fingers off, kids who fell off their bike and broke their arm, patients with dementia who took a fall down the stairs, patients who were in a car accident and hit their head, causing them to have a concussion and sometimes amnesia. I loved having a variety of work to do. I got to give people stitches, put a cast on their arms and legs. I learned how to read various x-rays, and MRI notes. I learned to diagnose a concussion, and how to treat amnesia. I learned about the importance of vaccines, and how to start an IV for my patients. For the first time in my life, I was finally happy. I was finally fulfilled. I had found something that challenged me. Something that actually kept my attention, and didn't completely bore me. Something that changed every day, and allowed me the variety I needed to keep going. Something that was actually helping someone other than myself. I was saving lives, and it felt really good! A few months ago, Rory and I were at a family gathering over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and a close friend of ours was telling us about some companies she had heard about who had opened medical offices for their employees. They were all large corporations with at least 1,000 employees. They opened clinics inside of their offices, and provided medical services to their employees at a discounted cost, less than they could get by going anywhere else. All of the services were completely covered by the company's healthcare plan, and available to any employee who needed it, as well as to their dependents. I thought it was an interesting concept, and our friend wondered if maybe in the future, that might be something for HPG to look into. Being slacker Logan, I filed it away in the back of my brain, thinking that maybe one day when I'm older and ready to settle down more, I might consider it. But then that night I really started thinking about it, and I brought it up to Rory. We started researching these companies, and taking note of the different things that they were doing for their employees. Those who know Rory and I well know that we don't like to do things the way we are expected to. We like to be different, and we are very competitive. Or at least I am. When my Dad got sick, and Rory took over here at HPG, we decided that it was in everyone's best interest to make some changes. We decided to take on running the business differently than my Dad did. And because of the changes that we implemented, our profits were rising, and our employees were happier. We brought in new teams to work in various departments, and we lightened the work load in a lot of areas, shifting priorities around, and stepping in to assist our employees where needed. We started really looking into what we could do to help our employees do their jobs better, and give them the tools that they need in order to be successful. One of the big things that you have to look at when you are an employer, is your staff needing time off work. Everyone has families, and everyone gets sick. But what could we do to help our staff out? Rory and I came up with a plan. If other companies could open these clinics, and offer their staff discounted medical care, why couldn't we? Being a doctor, I decided to go talk to my boss, which led to Rory and I sitting down with the hospital's board of directors. We presented our plan for HPG, and what we thought would work best for our company, and we asked for their thoughts. And then we came up with an even better idea. We decided to partner with the hospital to open our own clinic. Rather than incurring all of the expenses ourselves, then having to find and train our own staff, then research how to provide our patients with the services that they need outside of our practice, why not partner with the hospital, and be able to provide all of those services in network? The Huntzberger Clinic is a collaborative partnership with Columbia University and Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, that will provide every member of not just the HPG staff, but also those at both the hospital and university, with all of the medical care that they could ever need. Every single employee under the HPG and Columbia umbrellas, as well as all of their dependents, will be able to come right here to the HPG offices, to get medical care. At the Huntzberger Clinic, we will provide our patients with all of the same services and care that they would get going to any other doctor in the country. We have portable x-ray and ultrasound machines, we have vaccines, we can do stitches and casting, we can do well visits, and sick visits. Anything that our patients need, we can take care of, just by coming into our little clinic. And because we are a subsidiary of Columbia, we are able to give our patients the continuity of care that they both need and deserve, by referring them to our 60 different specialty departments within the hospital. Our patients won't be subjected to a one or two week wait for referral processing because they will be referred in network. Our patients will be able to call their needed specialist within 24 hours of receiving a referral, to schedule their appointment. We of course can't guarantee any appointment times, because specialists often have a two or more week wait for their services, but we can at least guarantee that the referrals have been instantly processed, and that our patients haven't been lost in a pile of paperwork, and completely forgotten about. Here at HPG we believe in going above and beyond the call of duty for our customers, and our staff. We take pride in being the best we possibly can, and helping our employees rise with us. Our employees are the face of our companies, and by providing them with discounted medical care, we are able to not just keep them healthy, but also to provide the overall care that is needed by each individual person both under our corporate umbrellas, as well as in their homes, all while saving them money. By taking care of our employees, they in turn take care of us. Being a doctor at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, I love my job, and I love the people that I work for, and with. And I can't imagine ever leaving to go anywhere else. By partnering with the Hospital to open this clinic, I am able to remain on staff with a company that I consider family. I have rights at the hospital, and if one of my patients is admitted, I am able to go treat them there. I am also able to go work at the hospital any time that I want. If I get bored, I can call and ask where they need help, or if they get slammed during flu season, or if some random virus takes over the town, or there is a mass casualty, they can call me in to help out. This partnership benefits so many people both on the medical and patient level. By partnering with the hospital, we are able to get all of our medical supplies directly through them, and also use their lab courier service. Here at HPG, we have provided Columbia a clean and safe space to have a medical clinic, completely free of charge to them, and they are providing us a doctor, two nurses, and medical supplies. We've also reached an agreement on my salary, where both companies share the cost, which allows me to work in both places simultaneously. When I am not busy with patients, I will be available elsewhere in the building, helping out wherever I am needed. I will basically always be on call. Here at HPG, we have programmed a medical appointment scheduling app, directly into our computer system that allows our employees to schedule their doctor visits, directly from their computers. There is no need to call the office, and sit on hold, or leave a message for someone to answer at a later time. Appointments can be scheduled at any time, by the patient themselves, and the scheduling app will immediately add the appointment to my calendar, and send an alert right to my phone. It won't matter if I am with a patient, or out of the office. I will get an alert letting me know that I have an appointment scheduled, and when I need to be back in the clinic. It also allows me to schedule my own time off around when my patients need me. Whether I need to be in a shareholder meeting, visiting a newspaper in another area, or helping out in the emergency room, I can just add my availability directly to my calendar, and patients will be able to schedule their appointments around those times. HPG employees will also be able to schedule their appointments at any time during their regular work day, at no penalty to them. We are making medical visits part of their regular day, and not requiring them to even clock out, as long as they remain on company property. While we are opening our services to our employees families, as long as our employee is on our property, they are able to remain on the clock while receiving medical care. The only time they will need to clock out, is if they need to run out to pick up a dependent for an appointment. But even then, as soon as employee steps back onto our property, they are able to clock right back in. We are asking our employees to please use discretion when scheduling their appointments, and to schedule them around their work deadlines, so we can assure that all work continues to be completed on time. But otherwise, as long as deadlines are being met, and work isn't falling through the cracks, our employees are free to take a break whenever they need it, in order to receive the medical care that they need. The Huntzberger Clinic may not have been something that I dreamed of having my entire life, but it is something that I am incredibly excited about, and proud to call my own. It is something that I never in a million years expected to happen to me. Especially not with my slacker history. But things change. People change. Never in a million years did anyone in the Huntzberger family ever expect me to do much with my life. At least not outside of following in my father's footsteps and eventually taking over HPG when he decided to retire. But thanks to my awesome friends who have always been there with me, encouraging my delinquency and laughing as I learned to have some maturity, my amazing sister who endlessly loves and supports me through absolutely everything, whether I deserve it or not, and my incredible wife who taught me that it is good to grow up, mature, and work toward a future goal, that I have grown into the man I am today. Before I met Rory, no one had ever challenged me. I was always given whatever I wanted, and I never had to really work for anything. But this gorgeous woman standing next to me, completely changed everything. Never in my life had I met someone who was as quick witted as I was, and who could so easily hit me with an educated comeback. Rory has opinions, and Rory has the education and knowledge to back them up. The only person I have ever known who possessed any of those traits, is my father. But to experience it from someone my own age, from a beautiful girl, is incredibly intriguing. Rory has always known exactly what she wanted out of life, and from a very young age, she's had an entire game plan of exactly how to get there. And that completely baffled me. I have never met someone so dedicated and hyper focused on one specific goal, that nothing else in the world mattered to her. But from the day I met her, Rory sucked me into her world, and taught me to be a better person. She taught me to dream, and that I should want more from my life than to be the drunken pirate I had dreamed of as a child. Rory taught me all about having goals and aspirations. She taught me about having hope, and planning for the future. Rory challenged me intellectually, and that terrified me, but also inspired me. She made me want to be better. She made me want to grow up, and actually do something with my life. Nine years ago, I decided to go to medical school. And it was one of the best decisions that I ever made. This clinic that we are all here to open today, the Huntzberger Clinic, is a testament that a worthless slacker jerk can actually become a productive, meaningful member of society. It's a testament that if you actually apply yourself, and work toward a goal, someday, you can achieve it. And it's a testament that bossy, opinionated Doctor Paris Gellar was wrong about me. I may be your children's second favorite doctor, but I'm a doctor nonetheless. This worthless slacker finally made something of himself, and I have you to thank for it. So thank you Paris. Thank you for constantly busting my balls, and always motivating me to prove you wrong. I couldn't have done this without you." Logan said, looking directly at his friend, sitting in the front row, next to her husband. "It's all you, Ace." Logan whispered, taking a step back from the podium.

"Thank you so much Logan. Now, before we open the floor up to questions, I would like to introduce Mrs. Honor Huntzberger - Rothschild, who would like to say a few words on behalf of the Huntzberger family." Rory said, then stepped back to stand her husband, off to the side of the podium.

"Thank you Rory." Honor said as she stepped up to the podium. "Oh behalf of the entire Huntzberger family, I just want to tell you all how incredibly proud we all are of my little brother. He has worked so hard to get to where he is today, and it has been such an honor to be his older sister, and to have a front row seat to watch his growth. In the last few months, there have been a lot of changes being made within HPG, and the opening of the Huntzberger Clinic is just amazing! Rory and Logan have made an incredible team since taking over HPG. In just four months, HPG has shown significant growth in all areas, and that is entirely due to the new teams that Rory and Logan have put into place. Our newspaper subscriptions and readership are up, advertising profits have tripled, our employees are all happier, and more productive with their lightened workloads, we have new equipment allowing everyone to do their jobs more efficiently, without as many problems as before. When Rory stepped in as CEO in October, HPG owned 327 newspapers throughout the United States and 100 overseas, with plans to expand to a total of 500 over the next year. Currently, we are up to 350 papers, and we are working on acquiring our first published book and magazine. HPG is growing at a rapid rate, and it is because of the amazing teams that we have in place, and the incredible leader at our helm. Now, with all of that said, there is one more person who would like to say a few words today . . . Dad, would you like to join me?" Honor asked, watching as Mitchum confidently stood from his seat in the front row, and made his way to the podium.

"What is going on?" Logan whispered, sharing a worried look with Rory as some quiet murmurs spread throughout the room.

"I have no idea. Honor only told me that she wanted a minute to speak. She didn't say anything about your Dad being a part of this."

"Good morning everyone." Mitchum started. "As most of you know, HPG is my family's legacy. I've spent my whole life here, building this company from the ground up, with my father. And for the last 30 years, I've been the CEO and majority shareholder. I have overseen all of the day to day operations for every department, I have hand-picked every newspaper we have acquired, and worked with each one individually, as they have transitioned into this company. HPG has been my baby. I have worked endless hours to build this company into what it is today. Four months ago I suffered a massive heart attack, causing me to have to take a step back. And then a few weeks later, I experienced a second one. In the time that I have been away, I honestly expected this company to crash and burn. But what I didn't expect, was that my son and his wife would step up, and run everything together, as a team. Logan has never wanted to run HPG. This was never his dream. Logan became a doctor. He went against everything he was raised to be, defied his mother and I, and went to medical school. Logan did everything he could to distance himself from this family, and prove to me that he had no intention of ever being who I raised him to aspire to. But in the last four months, I've come to realize that I was wrong about Logan. My son has done more with his life that his mother and I have ever given him credit for. Logan has taken it upon himself to be the head of my care team. No matter how busy he has been, Logan has put my health and my recovery front and center. He has made me his priority. And he has done the same for his mother. Logan is a much better person than I am. He's always been able to admit when he's made a mistake, and he's always tried to fix it without asking for my help. He of course always asks his sister to help him, but he's rarely asked me. Logan has stepped up to the plate on numerous occasions, and proven that he has what it takes to be a leader. Logan would have been a great CEO here at HPG. But Logan wants what Logan wants, and taking over for me is not on his list. So Logan appointed his wife. An outsider. Someone I never thought would ever run this business. Someone who I once told, would someday make a good assistant. But again, I was wrong. Rory, much like my son, has continued to prove me wrong in everything that I ever thought about her. Rory has been able to get through to my son, unlike his mother and I. Rory has stood by him, and loved him unconditionally, through all of his shenanigans. She has supported him, and been there to help guide him to become the man he is today. When I got sick, it was Rory who stepped up, and kept this company afloat. It is Rory who has made all of the positive changes here at HPG. And it is Rory, who deserves just as much credit for our new clinic, as Logan does."

"What the hell?!" Logan commented, sharing another look with his wife.

"He's up to something." Rory whispered.

"The question is WHAT is he up to?"

"For the last 34 years, it has always been my goal, to have my son take over the company when the time comes for me to step down. But in the last four months, I've realized that maybe there is someone else who is better suited for succession. Someone who is actually more capable than originally thought, and definitely more so than both Logan and I. And it is at this moment that my wife and I have made the difficult decision for me to step down and appoint the new CEO of the Huntzberger Publishing Group. As of this morning, Lorelai Leigh Huntzberger will permanently fill my position. All of my shares, all of my duties to this company are officially hers. Congratulations Rory. You've earned this." Mitchum announced, leaving everyone in the room completely stunned as he stepped back from the podium, and walked over to where Rory and Logan stood together. "It's all you guys now." Mitchum told them. "You two are the future of this company."

"Dad . . ." Logan whispered, as Mitchum held his arms out, and pulled them both into a hug.

"You'll do great. Congratulations to you both."

"I'm sorry, but we won't be taking any questions today. If you would all like to join us in the reception room next door, we have tons of refreshments available, and we will be giving tours of the clinic at the scheduled time." Doyle said as he stepped up to the podium a moment later, then quickly stepped back, and immediately went to Rory and Logan who were still hugging Mitchum. "Take it to your office, right now. You're about to get hounded. I'll have security escort you."


	59. Chapter 59

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy. The covid numbers where I live are spiking like crazy! Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public!

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! I am so glad you guys are loving this story! Your kind words mean a lot to me. Thank you so much!

* * *

_**Friday, February 3, 2017**_

_**Huntzberger Publishing Group**_

_**11:45am**_

"Where do you think they went?" Lorelai asked as she stood with her parents, in the reception room.

"Probably to an office somewhere to discuss things. That was quite the bombshell." Richard told her.

"Wow, did anybody see that one coming?" Christopher asked, joining the Gilmores' conversation.

"The man had to retire sometime." Emily told them.

"But you would think that it would be something that they would have talked about. Rory and Logan knew nothing about it. Hey Doyle, where did they go?" Lorelai asked as Doyle passed by the group.

"I think they're in the clinic, but they may have gone up to Rory's office." Doyle answered.

"Did you know anything about this?"

"Not at all. I have a feeling Honor knew though. All I can say right now, is that you guys had better be prepared for a media nightmare, because it's already started outside.. If you want me to, I can get you out of here pretty easily right now, but it's going to be more challenging as it gets later in the day."

"We have Logan's party tonight." Emily told him.

"I know. I'm not sure how that is going to go over at the moment. We are beefing up security, but there is no telling what all is about to go down. Excuse me, I need to take this call." Doyle said as his phone started ringing in his hand. "You've reached Doyle."

"Lorelai, where is Luke?" Emily asked.

"He's helping Sookie with the food. Big events like this aren't really his thing."

"Hey guys, big day today!" Paris said as she joined the group.

"Hey Paris! You look great!" Lorelai told her.

"Thanks Lorelai, so do you. Hello Emily, Richard. It's been a long time."

_***~ * ~ * ~ * Fifteen Minutes Later * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Are you ready for this?" Logan asked as Honor and Josh followed his parents out of the clinic, surrounded by security.

"It's not like anything has changed at all. I've been doing the job for months." Rory told him.

"But?"

"But I wish we had at least known about this ahead of time. I can't believe they just dumped this on us in front of everyone.

"This is my Dad's style though."

"At least we were prepared for it."

"That's true. But now we have all kinds of press to deal with."

"What do you want to do about that? You're the professional here."

"We just need to face it head on. We can't exactly hide from it. Like you said, we knew it was coming eventually, and we've been preparing for it. We just thought that we had more time, and that we'd have to force him out."

"So we just answer all the press questions then?"

"We kind of have to. We can try to gloss over them, or refuse to answer, but avoidance isn't going to do us any favors. We just need to face it. Give them an answer without giving too much information."

"I'm hungry."

"There is a ton of food in the reception room. Should we go face the music?"

"Can I just hide in the kitchen, and stuff my pregnant face?"

"Probably not, but you can try."

"How long do we have to stay here? I already need a nap."

"At least until we can give clinic tours to the hospital board, and the news crews. I might be able to get you out of here sooner though. We'll play it by ear."

"I hope there's cake."

"Baby wants cake?"

"Chocolate cake and ice cream."

"Should we go talk to Sookie? I'm sure if there is something you need that she didn't bring, someone will be happy to run out and grab it for you."

"Baby needs food."

"Security should be back in a minute."

"Do we really need security to escort us across the lobby?"

"I'm honestly not sure at this point, but do you really want to risk getting mobbed as soon as we walk out the door?"

"Hey Babe?"

"Yeah?" Logan answered as he paced through the office.

"Come here."

"What's going on?"

"The baby is kicking, and I can actually feel it with my hands. Come here. Put your hand right here." Rory told him, taking his hand, and pressing it to her stomach. "Do you feel that? That little bump?"

"That's her?"

"That's her. That's our daughter." Rory smiled, watching the expression of pure joy spread across Logan's face.

"Ace . . . I . . . I don't even know what to say right now."

"I know, right?!"

"This is amazing . . . This is absolutely amazing!"

"Should I call my mom?"

"She'll probably want to come feel this."

"Hand me a phone?" Rory asked as Logan reached into his coat pocket with his free hand, to retrieve one of the phones that was in it, handing it to Rory.

"Hey Mom?" Rory started as soon as Lorelai answered her call.

"Rory! Honey, are you ok? Where are you? What's going on?" Lorelai asked, panic evident in her voice.

"I'm fine. Everything is fine." Rory said very calmly. "But I need you to come to the clinic right now. Have security let you in. And bring Grandma with you."

"What's going on? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. I promise. Just come to the clinic. You've gotta see something."

"Alright, I'm on my way." Lorelai said as she ended the call. "Mom, I need you to come with me."

"Why? What's going on?" Emily asked.

"I'm not sure. Rory just said that I need to come to the clinic right now, and that I need to bring you with me."

"Well, alright then."

"Let's go! Lead the way!" Richard said, holding his arm out in the direction of the door, then following his wife and daughter out of the room, and across the lobby to the clinic door.

"Hey James, Rory just called and asked for me to meet her here. Would you mind opening the door for us?" Lorelai asked as the trio stepped up to the door.

"Sure things Miss. Lorelai." James answered, swiping a security card over the scanner, and opening the door.

"Hey Rory? Where are you Honey?" Lorelai called out as they entered the office.

"Office!" Rory answered.

"Sweetie, we came as fast as we could. What's going on?"

"The baby is kicking. We knew that you would want to be here."

"No way! Really?!" Lorelai asked, her voice full of excitement, turning to see her parents' faces light up as well.

"Really! Come here, put your hand right here." Logan said as he stepped out of the way.

"Oh my gosh! Hi baby! It's Nana! Hi sweet girl!"

"This is the coolest thing I've ever experienced." Logan told them.

"Can I feel?" Emily asked.

"Of course!" Rory told her.

"Mom, come right here." Lorelai said as she reached for her mother's hand, and placed it where her own hand had just been.

"Oh wow! Rory! Honey this is so amazing! Ayribella, it's Grandma Emily! I am so thrilled to finally get to feel you kick! Richard, you've got to feel this! This is incredible! Come here! Put your hand right here where mine is. Do you feel that?"

"I do. Hello Ayribella! This is your Grandpa Richard! Wow, Rory, this is definitely an incredible experience. Congratulations Honey!"

"Thank you Grandpa! I am so glad that you three are here for this. I was dreading the day I would have to call to tell you that it finally happened, and then have to wait for you all to get here."

"Well Ayribella picked a mighty fine day to make her little presence known."

"Yes, she really did. This is the best birthday present I could possibly ask for." Logan spoke up. "I am so incredibly happy right now!"

"Speaking of birthday presents." Lorelai started. "Care to tell us what the heck happened out there?"

"Apparently my dad decided to retire, effective immediately."

"Did you know about it?" Emily asked.

"Nope! We honestly thought that we would have to force him out later this year when he tried to fight us to let him come back."

"So the plan was to never let him come back then?" Lorelai asked.

"Originally it was to get him better, and eventually let him. But then, as we learned more and more about the way he was doing things, and with all the trouble we've had with certain family members, we didn't want him undoing all of our hard work, just to make us have to redo it all later on. I'm not sure how my Dad was able to run this place with all of the outdated equipment. And it's really no wonder he had a heart attack with all of the extra work that he was doing. It's taken about 5 different people to replace him. My dad is a complete control freak and refused to let anyone actually do their jobs. Rory does exponentially less than him, and is now able to write and edit whenever she wants to. She's actually able to be the boss, and not be a micromanaging dictator. We've given all of the employees the freedom and ability to actually do their jobs, without having to ask us for permission on every single thing. The papers are going to print hours before the daily deadline hits, and they have better, more informed articles in them. We've also been able to move more and more stuff online without it being a fight for subscriptions and readership. Plus, we've been able to focus on obtaining the rights to our first book, and we are working on starting a magazine. Things are going really well here, and having my Dad come back in to screw it all up, would have been severely damaging to not just the business, but to all of the employees as well. It just isn't a risk that we were willing to take. We've been preparing for a fight for a couple months now." Logan explained.

"So what happens now?"

"I'm not quite sure. My Dad said that he is transferring everything into Rory's name, so I guess we'll be meeting with lawyers next week to get all of the details all hammered out."

"Have you contacted your legal team yet?" Richard asked.

"Collin is here, so I'm sure he's already on top of it." Rory told them.

"You two sure have a lot going on lately." Emily told them.

"We do. It's a lot happening all at once." Rory agreed.

"We were planning to go out of town for Valentine's Day next weekend, so we'll see how all of this affects that."

"Where are you guys taking off to?" Lorelai questioned.

"I'm not sure yet. I just decided to go on the way here this morning. We've been so busy lately that we just need a break."

"Well you definitely deserve one!" Emily agreed. "What is the plan for the rest of the day? You have a room full of people out there."

"I need a nap!" Rory told them as she slouched down in Logan's large overstuffed leather chair that sat behind his desk.

"You have a couch upstairs." Lorelai told her.

"I know, and it's calling my name."

"Lorelai, don't be ridiculous! Rory can't possibly go take a nap right now! She's got a room full of reporters and board members that are all waiting for her to make an appearance!" Emily snapped.

"What would happen if I didn't?" Rory sulked.

"Unfortunately my dear, that just isn't a feasible option for you right now." Richard commented.

"I thought you wanted cake?" Logan chuckled.

"I do want cake. But I want a nap too. Mom, is there ice cream?"

"You need ice cream?" Lorelai asked.

"I'll find you some. What kind to you need?" Logan asked as he reached for his phone.

"Rainbow sherbet." Rory answered as her grandparents just looked at her, shaking their heads in amusement.

"Hey Finn? You're here at HPG right?" Logan asked after dialing his phone. "Good, I need you to do me a huge favor. Rory needs ice cream. Would you mind running down the street for some rainbow sherbet?"

"And a sandwich from Firehouse Subs!" Rory added.

"And now she wants a sandwich from Firehouse subs too . . . What kind?"

"Turkey ranch and swiss."

"She says Turkey ranch and swiss . . . Thanks Finn. I owe you one." Logan said as he disconnected the call. "Finn says 'your wish is my command'."

"Will you call him back and tell him to get me a pickle too?"

"Firehouse always gives pickles with their sandwiches. And they're the good pickles too."

"I know, but it's Finn, and he'll eat it! Finn loves pickles!"

"I'll text him and tell him not to eat your pickle."

"We should just buy a bucket of those pickles."

"I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be able to eat them all."

"Yeah, but we could give most of them to Luke. I'm sure he can use them at the diner."

"Rory, I'll stop by Firehouse on my way back to your house and buy you a bucket of pickles, if that's what you want." Lorelai offered.

"I do, I really do! Thanks Mom."

"Is there anything else that you need?" Richard asked.

"Maybe some help getting out of this chair."

"You're already having trouble getting up?" Emily asked.

"No, but I'm wearing heels, and this chair is really comfy. Logan, I'm stealing this chair."

"No you aren't."

"Oh yes I am!" Rory insisted.

"No you aren't because I already ordered you one of your own with massage features on it. It will be here sometime next week."

"Spoiled!" Lorelai exclaimed in mock outrage.

"Your birthday is coming." Rory told her.

"So I get a chair too?"

"We'll talk." Logan offered.

"We should get you guys out there. Everyone is probably wondering exactly where you disappeared to." Emily told them.

"Hey Mom, trade me shoes." Rory said, holding her feet out toward her mother.

"What?! Why?"

"Because you're wearing wedges and they're a lot more comfortable than my heels.

"Uh yeah, that's kind of the point!"

"They're designer!" Rory offered.

"What designer?"

"I don't know. Honor bought them. I think she said Christian something. Or was it Louis Vuitton?"

"Would that be Christian Louboutin?" Emily asked.

"I don't know, maybe."

"Are the bottoms red?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Lorelai, they're Louboutins." Emily told her. "Your daughter has Louboutins."

"Can I have them?" Lorelai asked.

"Don't tell Honor?" Rory told her.

"Rory, those are thousand dollar shoes!" Emily scolded.

"That I rarely wear. At least Mom will appreciate and get some use out of them. They just sit in my closet collecting dust. Please Mom!"

"Are you sure you want to give me these? Because you may never get them back."

"That's ok, because Mitchum just gave me all his money, so I can buy myself new ones." Rory told her.

"And if you only wear them to work events, they can be used as a tax write off." Richard added as Emily and Logan just shook their heads, watching Rory and Lorelai trade shoes.

"You are the only CEO in the world who has no desire to invest in quality products." Emily told her.

"How about I give you my new credit card, and you can go crazy." Rory offered as Logan helped her out of the chair.

"Can I use it too?" Lorelai asked.

"Sure, why not!"

"Yay! I'm going shopping this weekend!"

*~ * ~ * ~ * Five Minutes Later * ~ * ~ * ~ *

"So Rory, what is the first thing that you are going to do as your first official act as CEO?" a reporter asked as Rory stood answering questions in the reception room.

"Actually, I am going to eat some ridiculously good food, and then I am going to go home and take a nap."

"You don't have any big plans of something to do for the company?"

"I honestly don't. I've been interim CEO for several months now, and I've been making a lot of changes, so there really isn't anything big for me to do that I haven't already done. I guess it's a huge deal that I'm now the official CEO, but for me, I'm still just the same small town girl that I've always been. This job may be exciting and glamorous to a lot of other people, but to me, it's still just a job. I don't see myself as being any better than anyone else. Heck, I just traded shoes my mother because hers are way more comfortable. Fancy and flashy just aren't my thing. I might be the boss here at HPG, but if you look at the articles in our papers, I've written a lot of them. There is a piece I've written in each of our papers every single day, and sometimes two or three. I'm also editing, and doing paste up. I'm not one of those desk managers that sits around instructing people. I am someone who believes in leading by example. Nothing is too good for me. If I am going to ask one of my employees to do something, I need to be willing to do it myself."

"Even the head editor of most newspaper offices don't do any of the writing or editing."

"Exactly! But that's not me. I was the editor of my college paper when I went to Yale, and everyone who worked under me will tell you that I did exactly the same work that they did. I am very hands on with my staff. My assistant and I actually share responsibilities. We do all the same work."

"Wow! So what happens when you go out on maternity leave? Have you thought that far ahead?"

"I actually have, and I've been slowly preparing for it. I've been banking stories for a few weeks now, and I've got a good team in place, so I'll be able to take some time off, but still work from home when I want or need to. I'm really not worried about it at all."

"Do you know what you are having? When are you due?"

"I'm due in early summer, but that is the only information we are sharing. Sorry."

"Is your husband and family excited to be adding a baby to the mix?"

"They are actually over the moon. I think my husband is actually the most excited. Him and my Mom both."

"Rory Love, here is your sandwich." Finn said as he stepped up to Rory, and handed her a paper bag. "And no, I didn't touch your pickle."

"Finn, thank you! I totally owe you one!" Rory said taking her lunch from him, and placing a kiss on his cheek. "I'm so sorry, this is my good friend Finn Morgan. Finn, this is Karen from New York Today. Finn was just catering to my pregnancy cravings."

"Hell Finn, it is very nice to meet you."

"And you as well my dear." Finn said, shaking the reporter's hand.

"Finn, have you known Rory very long?"

"I have actually. I've known her since college. We both went to Yale together."

"Tell me a little bit about Rory. What is she like as a person?"

"Tell you about Rory . . . Well . . . She is my best mate's girl. Has been for what? The last twelve or so years?" Finn asked, looking toward Rory who just nodded her head. "Rory is kind of like a mother, or a big sister to me. She's one of my very best friends. She always keeps us blocs out of trouble."

"So I take it Rory is responsible then."

"Yes, definitely. Very responsible. Very calm, very smart. She's articulate. Warm and encouraging. She's the brains of our group. She's the logical one. She likes to think things through, and plan ahead. And she is a lot smarter than I am. Smarter than all of us."

"What do you think about Rory taking over running HPG?"

"Rory will be great! She'll be amazing! She already is. Completely fabulous! There is nobody better. Especially not this guy." Finn said, pointing his thumb toward Logan as he joined the group. "Rory can definitely run the company better than this guy. He's more likely to blow it up than to run it successfully."

"Gee, thanks Finn!" Logan laughed as he slid an arm around his wife.

"Hi, I'm Logan Huntzberger."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Logan. I'm Karen O'dell from New York today."

"I know that show well. I used to watch it all the time while I got ready for work."

"Oh, excellent! I was just interviewing your wife and friend here. Congratulations on opening your clinic!"

"Thank you, thank you so much." Logan told her.

"You must be super excited to get things going. When do you see your first patient?"

"Monday morning actually. We just launched the app to allow employees to start making appointments, yesterday."

"Sorry, if you'll excuse me, I need to go eat something." Rory told them.

"You go, I've got this." Logan told her.

"Thank you so much Rory, it was pleasure to speak with you." Karen told her.

"Thank you, you as well." Rory smiled.

"I'll go with you." Finn said offering Rory his arm to escort her across the room.


	60. Chapter 60

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

Sorry it's taken me a few days to get a new chapter out. I've been in a funk lately, so I've taken a little bit of me time. I FINALLY got around to reading Lauren Graham's book Talking As Fast As I Can. I've only had it for like two years. LOL I read the whole thing in less than 24 hours, and I was really sad to be done. I have Amy Sherman Palladino's book to finish next. I got it about a month or so ago, and I started reading it, but didn't get more than a couple chapters in before getting busy, and completely forgetting about it. We'll see how long it takes me to actually read it.

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy. The covid numbers where I live are spiking like crazy! Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public!

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! I am so glad you guys are loving this story! Your kind words mean a lot to me, and help keep me going. Thank you so much!

* * *

_**Friday, February 3, 2017**_

_**5:00pm**_

_**Huntzberger Residence**_

"I thought you were taking a nap?" Logan asked as he walked into the bedroom he shared with Rory, to see her sitting in bed, working on her computer, with papers and notebooks spread out around her.

"I was." Rory answered without looking up from what she was doing.

"But? I thought we agreed not to do any work for the rest of the weekend?"

"I'm not doing work."

"Alright?"

"I'm researching baby gear."

"Why?"

"Because it needs to get done."

"You know that there are professionals who's entire job it is, to do all of that research for you, right?"

"I'm trying to pick out which car seat is best. What seat has the highest safety ratings, and the most features. How big is it? Is it too big? Does it have too many features? Is it too complicated to use? Did you know that car seats have specific height and weight limits that you need to follow? And there are expiration dates! Car seats have expiration dates! They're a hunk of plastic with Styrofoam in it, and yet the thing has an expiration date! And that you aren't supposed to add anything to them? If the accessory doesn't come with the seat, you shouldn't be using it. Did you know that all those toys and things that you see hanging on people's baby carriers can become projectiles in a car accident? And if you add a comfort head centering pillow, or soft strap covers, they can actually both suffocate your baby, and make it so that the seat belt doesn't fit properly, causing your baby to slip out and get badly hurt in an accident? Did you know the importance of rear facing your child? Even if they're 5 years old, that rear facing is safer? It doesn't even matter if their legs are all squished up because they don't have any leg room because of the seat being in their face. They can sit with their legs crossed, and still be safer than they would be if they were front facing."

"I actually did know all that. They teach you all of that in medical school, and then again in training to work in the emergency room." Logan said as he moved some of Rory's notes, and took a seat on the bed next to her. "Would you like to know what else I know?"

"That you think I'm going down a crazy rabbit hole, and I need to mellow out?"

"No . . . Well, maybe a little. Let me see your computer for a second . . ." Logan said as he reached for Rory's laptop. "You see, there is this great website that has everything that you need to know about car seats, all on one page. They tell you exactly what seat is best, what kind of cars the different seats fit in, how big they are, the features, the safety ratings, the price, how much leg room each seat offers, the government accident statistics, everything that you've been researching, it's all in one place."

"What are you talking about? I've been at this for two hours, and not once have I seen anything about any website."

"Car Seats For The Littles; All you have to do is click on recommended seats, select your country, then click on the type of seat you need. You've got infant seats, convertible seats, multi-mode, combination seats, high back boosters, no back boosters. This website even has the price of each seat, and gives you the link to where you can buy it. People literally have the job of doing all of this research that you are stressing yourself out with. Look at this, each seat even has a list of pros and cons. I know how much you love your pro/con list, and it's all right here, already done for you."

"That's genius!"

"Isn't it?! All of this baby gear that you think you need to kill yourself to research, all of it is already done for you."

"Does Paris know about this?"

"Do you think that Paris really trusts anyone else's opinion?"

"Paris probably attacks this website with her own opinions."

"I wouldn't put it past her." Logan chuckled as he closed the computer. "But, right now, we have something else that needs our attention."

"What's that?"

"Dinner!"

"It's only 5."

"My parents have apparently decided to take everyone out tonight. Your parents, sisters, and grandparents included."

"What?!"

"I know, it sounds dangerous."

"Are your parents on drugs or something? I thought we were all having dinner at Honor's house tonight? I thought that was the plan. A nice mellow birthday, at home."

"Honor told me to come wake you up, get you dressed, and then meet them at the restaurant at 6:30."

"Do my parents and grandparents know about this?"

"They're already getting ready."

"So much for a nice quiet night. They probably made reservations at somewhere super fancy."

"I wouldn't put it past them."

"This is all because your Mom is in town. Honor wouldn't have changed our plans unless she was forced."

"You know my sister. Now come on, let's get you dressed."

"I'm not wearing heels again today." Rory said as Logan set her computer down, then reached his hand out to help her up from the bed.

"I would never ask you to."

"I have no idea what to wear."

"Why don't you go worry about your hair and makeup, and I'll go through your closet."

"If you were anyone else, I would have a major problem with that."

"Have I ever failed to pick out the perfect outfit for you?"

"Oddly, no, you haven't. And you are way more fashionable than I am, which is completely odd for the male species."

"I get that a lot."

"You realize how odd you are, right?"

"I've been called much worse things, and had my masculinity questioned many times."

"It's definitely not your masculinity that I've ever questioned. I obviously ended up pregnant, so we know that all works right." Rory said as she followed Logan into their bathroom, then watched as he headed into the closet.

"I honestly don't see what is so wrong about me actually being fashionable. I think that I look really good."

"You DO look good! Again with the ending up pregnant thing."

"Do you have a problem with the way I dress?"

"Have I ever given you any inclination that I have a problem?"

"So what is the big deal then?"

"You dress better than anyone we know, including your sister. You look like you just stepped off the cover of GQ."

"Well, that's not out of the realm of possibility. I've been given the option before."

"Are you serious right now?!"

"You know how it is over at Condé Naste. You've met Bob Sauerberg."

"He's friends with your Dad from what he told me today."

"Exactly! They've been friends for years. He's offered me a place there should I ever want it. As a writer, or a model."

"That's crazy! Five months ago, I would have killed to work for him."

"You and all the other writers and editors in the world." Logan agreed as he pushed hangers around the closet. "What would you feel more comfortable wearing, something more flashy, more subdued, or would you be ok with the sexy look? Because we've got a lot to choose from here. We've got floral, we've got business, we've got bright colors, we've got flashy glitter, we've got understated . . ."

"It's your birthday."

"Sexy it is!" Logan said as he picked out a short purple dress, and walked out of the closet to hand it to his wife.

"Logan, you realize that dress isn't a maternity dress, right?"

"So?"

"I doubt I can even get into it right now."

"And if you can, it'll be pretty tight. I don't see a problem."

"It's pretty short, which means with the baby bump, it's going to be even shorter in the front."

"Easy access is ok with me. Plus, the sequined lace looks amazing on you."

"And the super low V cut in the front?"

"Isn't that what double stick tape is for?"

"Who are you?!"

"I think it will look amazing on you!"

"To wear out to dinner with your parents. And my grandparents?"

"I don't have a problem with that."

"Logan, this is a party dress."

"Just put it on. We can make it work. I'll go ask your Mom to come help you."

"I don't even remember buying this dress. I have no idea where it came from."

"That's because I bought it. Months ago."

"And why would you have bought this?"

"Because I saw it in the store and thought it would look incredible on you."

"You really want me to wear this to dinner with your parents?"

"I'm sure we can pin it in the front, so it's not so revealing, if that's what you want to do."

"This V goes down to about the bottom of my rib cage."

"Please just put it on."

"I don't even think that I have a bra that will work with this."

"Again, you won't see me complaining."

"I can't believe that you are serious about this right now?! Emily Gilmore is going to completely flip out! Why did you buy this? Where did you think I would wear it?"

"Honestly? I thought it would be perfect for an LDB event."

"What LDB event? I thought you were done with those when you graduated from Yale?"

"There are a couple annual events that past members are invited to."

"And when are those?"

"There should be a spring event coming up, and then one probably over the summer, or in the fall."

"We'll have Ayribella for at least one of those, and I'll be really pregnant for the other one. Can we just play it by ear?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm not saying that we have to go, I just thought that it might be fun."

"Will you yell downstairs or something and ask my mom to come help me?"

"She should actually be up here any minute, I asked her to come help you when she was done getting ready, before I came up." Logan said as he watched Rory stare blankly at herself in the mirror. "What's wrong?"

"I just feel . . . I don't know . . . Kind of gross right now."

"Rory . . ."

"I'm too fat to get into any of my clothes, you want me to look all hot and sexy for your birthday, and I just feel disgusting." Rory said as frustrated tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"Knock knock." Lorelai said as she walked into the room. "Ok, why are there tears?"

"Logan wants me to wear this dress!" Rory said pointing to the dress hanging on the towel rack across the room.

"Would you like Grandma to have a coronary today, or tomorrow?" Lorelai chuckled. "Logan, I love you kid, but you know that she can't wear that dress."

"Why not?" Logan asked innocently.

"Well, because of your daughter for one. And two, can you not see how upset she is?"

"Ace . . ."

"I can't even get into that dress!" Rory told him.

"You haven't tried it on."

"Logan, I can tell by looking at it. There is no way that Rory can get into that dress right now. Plus, do you see how short it is? Add a baby belly, and that dress becomes a shirt. She's not wearing that. And don't even get me started on how low the front of it is. Your parents have never really liked my daughter anyway, but you put her in that dress, and they're going to be making call girl jokes all night."

"They will not."

"Your right, your parents don't know what sarcasm is. They'll just say it to her face. I'm sorry, but Rory can't possibly wear that dress. It's a very pretty color, and I do really like it, but why don't we save it for when she's not pregnant, ok?" Lorelai told him. "Come on Rory, let's go find you something else." Lorelai said as she put her arm around her daughter, and walked her into the closet.

"Hey, it's April, can I come in?" April called from the bedroom door

"It's open, isn't it?" Logan called back.

"Hey, I thought I would come up to help." April said as she walked into the bathroom to see Logan sitting on the edge of the Jacuzzi tub.

"They're in the closet."

"Who's dress is that? It's really pretty!"

"That would be Rory's."

"She's wearing that? Tonight?"

"Apparently not."

"Hey Rory, can I borrow this dress?" April asked, grabbing the dress and heading into the closet.

"You're not wearing this dress tonight either." Lorelai told her, reaching to take the dress and hang it back up in the closet.

"Really? Because I really like it! That color is amazing!"

"Would you like my mother to have the next massive heart attack?"

"That's true! Emily would definitely flip if she saw that."

"I'm pretty sure your Dad wouldn't approve of it either."

"Yeah, you're probably right." April agreed

"Here we go!" Lorelai said as she pulled a black sparkly sheath dress out. "It's black, which makes it slimming, it's sparkly which is pretty and celebratory, it's short but not too short, and it's stretchy for baby."

"I like it!" April agreed.

"And it'll go great with either my wedges, or your shiny ballerina flats."

"No heels tonight?"

"My feet are killing me from this morning." Rory answered.

"What about boots? You could totally pull off uggs because you're pregnant."

"Don't tempt me." Rory said as Lorelai grabbed the shiny ballerina flats off the shelf, and headed out of the closet carrying the dress she had picked out. "Logan, what do you think about this dress?"

"Yeah, that works." Logan agreed.

"You don't like it?"

"No, I do like it. I just really liked the purple one."

"The purple dress is amazing!" April told him.

"But not for a pregnant woman." Lorelai added. "And definitely not for going out with either of our parents. "April, grab that chair over that. Rory, come sit down. What do you want to do with your hair?"

"Can you make me look like April?"

"Like me?" April asked, looking at herself in the mirror.

"You look amazing!" Rory told her, admiring the Grecian style red dress April was wearing with her naturally curly hair, only pulled back from around her face, and pinned perfectly at the back of her head.

"You do look amazing April. Red is definitely your color." Lorelai agreed. "Those rhinestones give it the perfect amount of sparkle.

"Thank you! My mom actually picked it out. She thought it was the perfect party dress. Classy, kind of sexy, but not at all trashy, and a fun festive color."

"I totally agree with her. It looks great on you! And your hair looks incredible!"

"Thank you! My roommates got me using some new products made specifically for curly hair. All those years of the unruly puffy frizz is now a thing of the past. I've never been one to care much about my looks, but my roommates are really into hair and makeup, so they've been teaching me a few things. They even got me to start wearing contacts, which I have to admit, I actually really do like."

"Contacts are amazing!" Lorelai agreed. "And now you can wear all the cute sunglasses you want, and actually be able to see through them."

"True that!" April agreed.

"Logan, are you going to sit here and watch, or are you going to go get yourself ready?" Lorelai asked as she opened the drawer with Rory's curling irons, and proceeded to turn them on.

"It will only take me about a minute to change my shirt." Logan told them.

"Well why don't you go do that, and then go see if everyone else is ready."

"You want me out."

"Pretty much."

"I'll go find something to do then. Let me know when you are done, and I'll come change then." Logan said as he got up and left the room.

"Alright, what's really going on?" Lorelai asked as she picked up Rory's hair brush. "I know that you aren't actually crying over that dress."

"I don't know." Rory told her. "I feel stupid, and fat and ugly."

"Well every single person in this house knows that none of those things are true. Are you mad at Logan?"

"No. I don't think so."

"You've had a really big, crazy day today. And it's not even close to being over yet."

"How could Mitchum and Shira do this? We are supposed to be going to Logan's party, not dinner with them! They're ruining everything! As usual!"

"It's all going to work out just fine. Luke, April and I are going to ride to dinner with Grandma and Grandpa under the ruse that we don't want to deal with the media circus outside. You and Logan will be alone with Frank, and meet everyone at the restaurant. Then Grandma is going to be tired, and excuse herself to go to bed, and we are all going to head to the party. I'm not sure how Honor and Josh are going to get away from their parents, but that is for them to figure out. Honor already has it all figured out. We are going to dinner at Mirabellos's. You love Mirabello's."

"What's Mirabello's?" April asked.

"This amazing Italian place in the city with the best food you've ever had. They have the most incredible breakfast! Rory's Dad convinced them to deliver to her whenever she wants it. The portions are huge, and the food is the best thing you've ever had."

"Better than Dad's?"

"Don't you dare tell him I said that."

"My lips are sealed." April said, making a zipping motion in front of her mouth.

"So we'll go eat some amazing food for dinner, then we will all sneak out with Grandma. Josh and Honor will somehow bail on Mitchum, Shira and the shrink, and then Frank has instructions to somehow get stuck in traffic for twenty minutes or so on his way to drop you guys off at the party." Lorelai finished explaining as she brushed her daughter's hair.

"I'm pretty sure Logan knows about the party." Rory told her

"What?! How?!"

"I'm not sure, but judging by the way he was acting, I'm pretty sure he knows."

"He was trying to get you to crack with that dress. He knew there was no way that you would ever wear that in front of his parents."

"Exactly! Logan knows about the party. He obviously doesn't know details, but he knows about the party."

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * Meanwhile downstairs * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Hey, why aren't you ready yet? Where's Rory?" Honor asked as she walked in the front door to see her brother following Rocky through the house.

"She's upstairs with getting ready with Lorelai and April. I just need to change my shirt, so I'll get ready when they're done."

"Are you ok? What's going on?"

"Rory is upset."

"What did you do?"

"I may have purposely picked out a bad outfit, trying to get information out of her about what is REALLY going on tonight. I know Rory, and a quiet family birthday dinner is not something that any Gilmore has ever heard of."

"Well for one, tonight's plans are none of your business, so you need to just stop with that nonsense. Secondly, Rory doesn't even know, so trying to get information out of her is just pointless. What outfit did you pick out that pissed her off?"

"The short purple sparkly lace one."

"That one that would have our parents screaming hooker?"

"It would look amazing on her!"

"Which is why I let you buy it. But why would you go and do something stupid like that?!"

"Obviously because I'm an idiot, and thought that she would laugh and tell me that she would never be caught dead in that dress in front of our parents. But instead, she's upset because can't get into it right now."

"Well, I can definitely agree with the idiot part."

"Gee, thanks!"

"You need to go apologize."

"Lorelai kicked me out."

"Obviously for good reason. I'll go up there. You go take your dog out, and figure out a way to make it up to your wife."

"Where are we going for dinner?"

"Mirabello's."

"That's Rory's favorite."

"I know!"

"It's my birthday, shouldn't we be going to my favorite place?"

"You love Mirabello's."

"But again, it's my birthday. Shouldn't I get a say?"

"Is there somewhere else that you'd like to go?"

"Mirabello's is fine."

"Then why are you complaining?"

"Because it's my birthday, and I should have been consulted."

"Do you really think that Dad cares enough to ask you where you want to go?"

"So Dad picked it?"

"He did. And I didn't dare tell him that it's Rory's favorite and risk him choosing somewhere else, so don't you dare tell him either. That's actually what I came to tell her."

"They're upstairs."

"Go take your dog out, and quit sulking. I expect to see an excited smile on your face for the rest of the night."

"I'll do my best."

"I'm sure she's not actually mad at you. It's probably just pregnancy hormones. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just apologize and make sure you tell her how beautiful she looks. You've at least always been good at that."

"It's not very hard with her. Rory always looks amazing, no matter what she wears."

"Which is exactly why that purple dress would look completely incredible on her."

"Go take your dog out. Rocky, tell your Daddy that you need a treat." Honor said as she pet the dog, then headed upstairs to find the girls. "So I hear my brother is an idiot." Honor said as she walked into Rory's bathroom a couple minutes later.

"He told you that?" Lorelai asked.

"Logan is usually good about admitting when he's wrong." Rory told her.

"You doing ok?" Honor asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just feeling a little whaleish."

"At least you're halfway through already. I'm bigger than you are, and I'm not due until a few weeks after you."

"Everybody carries different. And you're having a boy. Boys tend to be bigger and you carry them more like a basketball." Lorelai commented.

"This is true. So what are you going to wear?"

"Mom picked out a stretchy black dress."

"It's behind me." Lorelai said, pointing over her shoulder.

"I like it! I have no idea what to wear. I've been debating leggings and a sweater dress with boots, but my parents might keel over if I do."

"Help yourself to my closet." Rory told her.

"We have identical closets, silly!" Honor chuckled.

"For the most part. I guess that's what happens when we go shopping together."

"And when you buy two of everything because I'm not there."

"This is true. I just wanted to come make sure that you're ok, and let you know that I've got everything ready to go for the party."

"Your brother knows."

"He suspects we're up to something, but he doesn't know anything. We actually just had that conversation. He says that a quiet family birthday dinner is something that no Gilmore has ever heard of."

"He knows us well!" Lorelai agreed.

"I told him that you don't know anything. Oh, and I need to tell you, don't let my Dad find out that Mirabello's is your favorite. I don't want him going out of his way to avoid the place just because he doesn't want to care about anyone other than himself."

"Good idea!" Rory agreed.

"I'm gonna run back home, and get myself dressed. We're meeting at the restaurant at 6:30. Gayle and Dad's nurse are in charge of getting the parents to bed after dinner. I have an extra car meeting us at the restaurant so we can ditch them for the party without it looking too suspicious."

"Logan already knows. You might as well just ride with us."

"Logan thinks he knows something, but he doesn't really know jack. I would ride with you, but I need to get there before you do, so I can give Frank the ok to drop you guys off."

"Good luck!"

"Yeah. Good luck with my brother! I'll see you guys shortly." Honor said, then turned and left just as quickly as she came.


	61. Chapter 61

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

Things may really slow down update wise. My husband got news about his work transfer today, and we could be moving in the next few weeks. We've been waiting for a move date for a few weeks now, but we should have one on Wednesday. I'll try to write and update as much as I can, but if it takes me a while, that is why. I have an entire house to pack up and clean, along with figuring out how to withdraw my kids from one school and register them for a new one, all in the middle of a massive pandemic

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy. The covid numbers where I live are spiking like crazy! Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public!

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! I am so glad you guys are loving this story! Your kind words mean a lot to me, and help keep me going. Thank you so much!

* * *

_**Friday, February 3, 2017**_

_**8:00pm**_

_**New York City, New York**_

"Any idea where we are going?" Logan asked as Frank drove through the streets of the city with Rory and Logan in the back of the car.

"Did you ever think that maybe Frank should get a variety of colors for his fleet of cars? I don't think the paparazzi would be following a blue SUV, or even a white one. Why are all the car service vehicles always black? Wouldn't it be smarter to get a variety of colors, just to throw off the press?"

"That is actually a pretty good idea. Maybe we can talk to the service about it. Frank isn't in charge, but he has been there the longest because we pay him so well."

"Frank should just start his own service. Or maybe, what if we started our own service, just for HPG?"

"How often would we really use it? You hate using the car service."

"That's a good point. But I do think that they should get a variety of colors for their cars. Always having a black escalade is a pretty obvious sign to the media that there is someone of interest inside. They should think about changing things up a little. Get some different high end cars, in a variety of colors."

"HPG could actually start its own car service, but we would have to compete with everyone else for clients."

"Do you think it would be a good business move?"

"I'm not sure. Let me think about it some more. But I definitely agree with having a variety of cars and colors."

"I hope this media frenzy dies down soon. I don't understand people's obsession with our lives."

"We're rich. They wish they had money, so they like living vicariously through us. Funny thing is that our life isn't much more interesting than anyone else's. We're pretty boring compared to most other people."

"But you weren't always this way."

"No, I wasn't. And I was a tabloid punchline for years."

"Which is probably why they're so obsessed with us. They're waiting for you to screw up again."

"Pretty much. I'm done with that life though. I've learned the error of my ways."

"You've grown up a lot since I met you."

"I have, but I'm still the same idiot Logan sometimes."

"Logan, we already talked about this. I'm not mad at you. It was pregnancy hormones."

"But I still feel bad. I hate seeing you cry. And I can't stand that it was my fault."

_**~ * ~ * ~ * Flashback * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Hey." Logan greeted, walking into the bedroom he shared with Rory, to get himself changed before leaving for dinner.

"Hey Babe!" Rory chirped as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror, putting her earrings on.

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you."

"I'm really sorry about earlier. It was stupid of me to try to trick you into giving me information. Especially using that dress."

"That dress is gorgeous. I wish I could wear it."

"Maybe later this year we'll go somewhere fun."

"I would love that."

"I have something for you."

"You do?" Rory asked as Logan held a velvet box out to her. "It's your birthday, and you're giving me a present?"

"I bought this for you a while ago. I've been waiting for the perfect time to give it to you. I should have done it this morning."

"Logan, it's your birthday. I don't need presents for your birthday. And you don't need to give me things because you feel bad about something stupid."

"I know. I just think it will look good with your dress."

"Logan . . ." Rory said as she took the box, and slowly opened it to see a simple round diamond on a delicate silver chain. "Babe, it's beautiful."

"No, you're the one who is beautiful." Logan said gently kissing her, then reaching to remove the necklace from the box, and clasping it behind Rory's neck.

"Thank you Logan."

"I am so sorry I upset you."

"You didn't upset me. The pregnancy hormones upset me."

"But I added to it. I am really sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for. I'm sorry for getting upset over nothing. It's your birthday. I have no right to be upset with anything you do today."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is. It's been a really big day for you. I am so proud of you!"

"It's been a really big day for you too. You've handled it all angelically."

"Only because you've been right there with me."

"I wouldn't dream of being anywhere else. I love you Ace."

_**~ * ~ * ~ * End Flashback * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"I shouldn't have tried to trick you into giving me information." Logan said as he took Rory's hand in his own, and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

"It's not like I even had the information in the first place. I purposely put your sister in charge, just so I didn't have to keep anything from you."

"So you really don't know where we are going?"

"I know nothing about any party. All I know is that there is some kind of celebration."

"So that is where your Mom and everyone disappeared to?"

"Most likely."

"Who all is there?"

"I have no idea. It could just be family since they're in town."

"Really?"

"I have no idea who is coming. But you had better act surprised!"

"How can I not when I have no idea what is going on?"

"Well it looks like you are about to find out." Rory said as the car pulled to a stop, and Frank exited the vehicle, and walked around the car to open the door for them.

"There is a lot of media here. Would you like me to help you get inside?"

"Thank you Frank, but I think we can manage." Logan said as he climbed out of the vehicle, then held his hand out to help Rory.

"Frank, make sure you come inside and enjoy the party too, ok?"

"Yes, madam, I'll do that. Happy birthday Sir."

"Thank you Frank." Logan smiled, then led Rory through the crowd of photographers, and into the building where their coats were taken, before they were escorted to a set of double doors where Honor stood waiting for them.

"Are you guys ready for this?" Honor asked.

"I definitely am." Rory answered.

"Let's do it!" Logan agreed.

"You better at least act surprised." Honor warned him.

"How can I not be? I have no idea what you've done here."

"Happy birthday baby brother." she said as she pulled the doors open to reveal a massive room full of all of their family and friends, singing "for he's a jolly good doctor" and then screaming happy birthday.

"Oh holy crap!" Logan muttered, taking in the scene in front of him.

The entire place was decorated to look like Rich Man's Shoe, the pub Rory and Logan often frequented with their friends back at Yale, and everyone in the room was wearing a white lab coat with a toy stethoscope hanging from their necks.

"Wow, Honor, this is crazy! How in the world did you come up with this?!" Rory said as she looked around.

"I was trying to think of where we should have the party, and I remembered that you had told me about the felon party that Logan and the crew had thrown for you back at Yale, and this idea just came to me. I was actually considering having the party at Rich Man's Shoe, but then I thought that having everyone drive to New Haven for a party might not be the best idea, so I brought New Haven to us."

"This is incredible!" Logan told her as he followed his sister into the room. "I can't believe you did this!"

"I had a lot of help. It's just like Rory's felon party, but with much better food."

"And a ton more people. Thank you Honor!"

"More people and absolutely zero alcohol."

"Please tell me that you're kidding."

"I am. I had the bar tenders stock up on sparkling cider and stuff for Shirley Temples for Rory and I. The rest of you drunks can drink your heart out! Oh, and before I forget to tell you, I told people that in lieu of presents, they could make a donation to either the hospital foundation, or the new HPG charitable foundation that I am launching next week."

"You're starting a charity for HPG?"

"I've been working on it for a few weeks now. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Go enjoy your party."

"Did you know about Honor starting a company charity?" Logan asked Rory as Honor walked away.

"She asked me some questions about maybe doing one, but I didn't know that she had actually run with it."

"Honor doesn't ask questions unless she's up to something."

"I'm learning that." Rory told him as some friends began to approached them.

"Doctor Huntzberger! Happy birthday, young man!"

"Doctor Johnson, thank you, Sir! Thank you so much for coming! Have you met my wife? This is Rory. Rory, this is Doctor Johnson. He helped train me when I first started my residency."

"Mrs. Huntzberger, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you so much, it is a pleasure to meet you as well. Thank you so much for being here tonight, and for everything that you've done for Logan." Rory smiled, greeting the older man.

"There is no need to thank me Dear. It was an honor to train your husband. He was my last resident before retirement. I've heard he's become an amazing doctor. Congratulations on your new clinic!"

"Thank you so much. You will have to come by one day, and I'll give you a tour. Maybe we can do lunch." Logan told him.

"That sounds wonderful. I will call you next week to set something up."

"Perfect! I look forward to it."

"Happy birthday Logan!" Dr. Greenley said as he joined the group. "Doctor Johnson, it's great to see you again! How is retirement treating you?"

"It is treating me very well. How are you Steeven?"

"I am doing wonderful! Just wanted to come wish my former partner in crime all the best on his new adventure. Rory, Honey, how are you?"

"I'm doing very well. Thank you so much for coming." Rory told him.

"Doctor Greenley agreed to be my back up doctor at the clinic, whenever I have to be out of town, and after our baby is born. In a few months."

"I think that is an excellent choice you made." Doctor Johnson agreed. "Steeven is a good man. You two have always made a good team."

"Logan, buddy!" a voice said from behind the group.

"Oh my gosh! Of all the gin joints in all the world!" Rory said excitedly as she turned around to greet the new face.

"Hugo Gray, how are you?!" Logan asked as he turned to see what Rory was so excited about.

"Wow, Rory, look at you! Congratulations!" Hugo said reaching out to hug Rory, then Logan.

"Thank you! What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in years!"

"I got a phone call a couple weeks ago about Logan having a birthday, and I couldn't possibly pass up the chance to stop by to say hi. I heard you two were back together again. When did all of this take place?"

"Back in October. Well, September, but we got married in October." Logan told him.

"And now you've got a baby on the way."

"We do." Rory confirmed as Logan placed a hand on her stomach.

"I am really glad you two worked everything out. Rory just wasn't the same without you, Logan. She was still an incredible writer, but after you two split, I could tell that something was off. Her energy was just different."

"I didn't do so well without her either." Logan commented.

"I can't believe you went to medical school! That's a HUGE change! You just gave up journalism?"

"I needed a change. Something to focus on and keep me from drinking myself into oblivion."

"So you chose medicine. And it looks like you like it."

"I do, it's been an entirely different world for me. Science was always mildly interesting when I was going to school but I never actually considered becoming a doctor until I blew everything up, and hit rock bottom."

"That is incredible! Congratulations!"

"Thank you!"

"Rory, what are you doing now? Are you still working for the Times? I haven't seen you write anything for them lately?" Hugo asked.

"I'm not. I was actually let go shortly after Logan and I got back together."

"What?! Why would they do something so stupid?!"

"Because I stepped in to help run HPG after Mitchum got sick. I'm now the CEO."

"Wow! Congratulations! That is HUGE!"

"Thank you. It's definitely been an experience. Actually, I just had an idea . . . If you have the time and are interested, I have an opening on the board of directors that I need to fill. I've been trying to come up with someone for weeks, but no one I've thought of has been good enough, until now. What would you think about maybe joining us?"

"I think that is definitely something to think about. Why don't we all get together maybe next week, or the week after, and we can talk about it."

"Yes, definitely! Call my office, and I'll have my assistant set up a time."

"I will do that. You guys have a ton of guests, and I don't want to hog your time, but I wanted to come say hi, and happy birthday."

"Thanks Hugo. It's great to see you! I'm really glad you came tonight." Logan told him.

"Yeah, me too. We'll talk soon." Hugo agreed, then walked away.

"Nurse Veronica, you are in so much trouble!" Logan said as he saw Veronica passing by them with another nurse.

"Happy birthday Logan! I'm glad you liked your surprise."

"You realize that you are going to be the one cleaning it all up on Monday, right?"

"Eh, it's festive. It can stay for a while."

"I'm pretty sure the health department won't be seeing it that way."

"Dang it! You've got me there! Amanda and I will get it taken care of."

"Thank you." Logan said, then took Rory's hand and moved through the room to greet their other guests.

"Hey guys, how was dinner with the parents?" Collin asked as Logan and Rory joined the group of old friends.

"It was interesting. I'm not used to having parents who are actually friendly."

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Stephanie asked.

"Trust me, I wish I knew." Logan chuckled. "It seems like Dad's heart attacks actually may have changed him."

"Your mother was nice to me today." Finn told them.

"You Finn? They both hugged me today! On their own, without being told or expected to." Rory shared.

"Was it completely weird?" Rosemary asked.

"Uh, only very! They've hated me since the day I met them!"

"Did they come tonight?" Collin asked.

"No. There is alcohol here. My parents aren't ready for that kind of temptation. They're at Honor's with Mom's therapist and Dad's nurse."

"So it takes a therapist and a nurse to wrangle those two."

"It's been good for them. They are going through marriage counseling to try to actually make their marriage work."

"Do they even like each other?" Stephanie asked.

"I'm not sure that really matters." Robert commented.

"They've always tolerated each other well enough. I think that maybe Mom was the one with the feelings in the beginning, but I think that Dad may have grown to have some over the years." Logan told them.

"And how are you feeling about all of this?" Juliette asked.

"I'm not really sure. It's definitely something to experience. Dad has been a real bastard to mom over the years, so if they ever decided to separate, I think as long as my Mom got a fair settlement out of everything, I would be ok with it."

"Wouldn't it be weird to have your parents divorce?" Collin asked.

"Yes and no. They've never really been together the way that the rest of us are, so I think it might be fine. I don't know. We'll see what happens with all the therapy. Dad is actually talking about moving to California for a while, to be with mom while she finishes rehab."

"Hey, maybe they'll both move there permanently."

"We can only hope." Rory told them.

"As nice as that would be, I don't think it will happen. My Mom is suddenly very excited for grandbabies. She's been ordering stuff like crazy."

"That sounds dangerous." Stephanie commented.

"It is. You should see the boxes piled up in our garage. I may have to restrict her amazon access."

"You haven't opened the boxes?"

"I'm afraid to." Rory told them. "Stuff keeps showing up. I only open them if I'm the one expecting something, but I've learned to check the tracking numbers to make sure it's what I ordered. There are a ton of clothes and toys that we won't need for years."

"You should just donate all of it to a shelter or something." Stephanie told her.

"Trust me, I've considered it. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about doing something like that for a baby shower. It kind of seems unfair for everyone to buy us stuff that we don't really need, and can fully afford to provide for ourselves when there are so many other women out there that could really use the help. I was thinking that maybe instead of buying us presents, maybe people could buy things to donate to someone else?"

"That is a really good idea. I'll work with Honor to get it arranged."

"Thank you." Rory told her. "I just feel really bad being given so much. My Mom and grandma have been going baby crazy for months, and now with Shira going insane on us, it's just getting overwhelming. We already don't have room for all of it."

"Oh, speaking of room." Collin interrupted. "Logan, your building permits were approved today."

"What building permits?" Rosemary asked. "What are you building?"

"We're adding onto our house."

"You're house is HUGE!" Stephanie told them.

"But when the whole family is in town, we run out of space for everyone pretty quickly, and end up booting someone over to Honor's house instead of staying with us. They've always been fine with it, but we figured that with the babies coming, maybe we should just add onto the house to give us a little more space to accommodate everyone."

"That makes sense."

"You can start work next week, if you want to." Collin told him.

"That's awesome! Maybe we can have it all done before the baby comes." Rory said excitedly.

"We'll see." Logan told her. "Let's not get our hopes up too soon."


	62. Chapter 62

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

Things may really slow down update wise. My husband got news about his work transfer today, and we could be moving in the next few weeks. We've been waiting for a move date for a few weeks now, but we should have one on Wednesday. I'll try to write and update as much as I can, but if it takes me a while, that is why. I have an entire house to pack up and clean, along with figuring out how to withdraw my kids from one school and register them for a new one, all in the middle of a massive pandemic

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy. The covid numbers where I live are spiking like crazy! Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public!

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! I am so glad you guys are loving this story! Your kind words mean a lot to me, and help keep me going. Thank you so much!

* * *

"Hey Grandma, Grandpa, do you have a minute?" Rory asked as she joined her grandparents in the dining room for breakfast.

"For you my dear, we have all the time in the world." Richard told her.

"That was such a fun part last night, wasn't it Richard?" Emily asked as Rory sat down next to her at the table.

"It was. It was a great idea to throw a doctor party for Logan's birthday." Richard agreed.

"That was all Honor actually. I had very little to do with it."

"Oh really? I thought for sure you were the architect of that event. It seemed like it was your style."

"She bounced ideas off me, but that was it. But anyway, Logan and I were talking a few weeks ago, and we had this idea. Grandpa had mentioned that you guys wanted to be here more when the baby is born, and we love the idea of having you here, but we kind of feel bad because Mom has the suite downstairs for her and Luke, but the bedroom you guys have been staying in doesn't have an attached bath. So Logan and I came up with a solution."

"Where is Logan?" Emily asked.

"He's on the phone in his office, he should be here in a minute. He told me to go ahead and get started without him."

"Alright . . ." Richard prompted.

"So we had this idea to help make the two of you more comfortable while you are here. I know that you were planning to head home this morning, but we were thinking that if you had some extra time, maybe you could come meet with our contractor with us."

"Your contractor?" Emily asked.

"Logan and I decided to build you guys your own apartment. We can either add it to the side of the house, or even build you your own space like a granny flat out in the backyard, whichever you would prefer. We actually just got building permits to do both things, thinking that the city would only approve one of them, so we thought we would let you choose where you would like your New York apartment to be."

"Rory, this is all very sweet, but completely unnecessary." Emily told her.

"I know Grandma, but we want to do this for you. You guys were talking about getting an apartment in the city anyway, so why not just stay here with us? You'll have your own place right next to ours, with your own private entrance. And because we are building it, you can choose whatever you want put in it, whether it's a special toilet, or some kind of fancy faucets. Whatever you want, we'll do. And if you choose to do the house addition rather than the flat in the backyard, we can give you both a private outside entrance of your own, as well as a door to go between your apartment and our house without you having to even step outside. You'll of course be welcome in the main house whenever you want, we would never lock the door unless you wanted it locked, and you would of course never have to stay in the apartment, at all, you would have full access to us whenever you want it. We just thought that it might be nice to give you your own space to come and go as you wish, without having to ask us if it's ok to visit.

"Hey guys. Sorry about that, I was on the phone with the contractor." Logan said as he walked into the dining room with a cup of coffee, and sat down at the table.

"That's ok Logan, Rory was just telling us about your building plans." Richard told him.

"So what do you guys think? If you have time, the contractor can meet with us today to get your plans drawn up, and then get started on building first thing Monday morning. We might even be able to get all of this done before Ayribella makes her grand entrance. Emily, you can work directly with the contractor on all the building designs, and decorate the apartment anyway you would like. I'll give you a credit card to purchase things with, and my accountant's phone number to set up an account with whatever store you want. We want you guys to feel completely at home here. I don't care how much it costs, Rory and I are going to take care of it."

"Logan, that is completely unnecessary. We are happy to pay for the things we want." Richard told him.

"Don't be silly. After everything you've done for us over the years, especially for Rory, this is our way of doing something nice for you. We want to do this for you guys. Lorelai would never want her own apartment. She is perfectly content having a bedroom downstairs, and being surrounded by chaos. You guys are more reserved, and like having more privacy, so giving you an attached apartment seemed like a good idea. I have the basic plans if you want to see them." Logan said as he turned his iPad on and placed it down on the table. "This one is the house addition. We would put your apartment on the far side of the house next to the garage, that way you could have direct access to the garage for your car. It would be a two-story apartment, with at least two bedrooms. We can do more if you'd like, but we thought two would be a good number for you. You can use the second room for guests, or an office, whatever you want. Maybe you can even take the baby sometimes, to give Rory a break, if you'd like to. We'll do a double master that way both rooms have their own bathrooms, and we'll of course have a bathroom downstairs as well. We'll give you a nice living room and a small kitchen. We know that the two of you don't cook much, and you are of course more than welcome to join us for any and all meals if you would like to. We will also be sharing our housekeeper with you, unless you would like one of your own. We can build further out into the backyard if you want to, to give you more space, it's entirely up to you on how much space you want. We can always adjust the building permits. You will have a direct entrance to both the garage and the main house, right from inside your house, so you will never need to go outside if you don't want to. But you will also have an outside entrance for guests, or whatever. We have options of putting your outside entrance on the front of the house, or the side. I think we can even have it on the back of the house, if that is what you want to do. Everything here is fully customizable, and you will have about 800-1,000 square feet for each floor."

"This looks very well thought out."

"Do you want to see the layout for the flat?"

"Oh no, I don't think that is necessary, do you Emily? I very much like the addition idea."

"Yes, I think the addition sounds lovely." Emily confirmed.

"Excellent!" Logan smiled. "Would you like to meet with the contractor this morning? It's only 8:30 now, he is able to meet with us at 10, if that works for the two of you."

"Ten o'clock sounds good to me." Richard agreed.

"This is so exciting! A new decorating project sounds amazing!" Emily said excitedly.

"Hey Grandma, while you are decorating things, now that I no longer have to worry about Mitchum possibly coming back to the office, I was thinking that maybe you could help me redecorate? It's a little gaudy."

"I would love to!"

"Thank you Grandma, I really appreciate it! I know that you don't need it, but I'll add you to the HPG payroll so you can get paid for all the hours you spend working on this project, and I'll get you a company card to use as well."

"That sounds very nice, thank you Honey."

"I am going to go call the contractor back to let him know that we will be meeting him at ten, and then I am going to make some real food. Would you guys like anything other than the fruit and pastries you are already eating?"

"Logan, there is a ton of food leftover from yesterday. It's all in the fridge." Emily told him. "Go open it up, there are a ton of breakfast options in there. And Sookie is making omelets across the street and bringing them over when they're ready."

"Sookie just likes Honor's kitchen better than ours." Logan chuckled.

"Partly because Luke isn't in it, and she doesn't have to fight him for space." Rory commented.

"Where are Luke and your mom anyway?" Logan asked.

"Probably across the street with Sookie. You know how mom likes to watch people cook."

"Your mom is with Sookie. Luke is in the garage working on something." Emily told them.

"Probably that insane dollhouse Shira ordered for the baby." Rory said rolling her eyes.

"Shira ordered the baby a dollhouse?"

"The thing is gigantic! I'm not sure where in the world that woman thinks it's going to go. It might need its own room." Rory told her.

"Now why would Shira do something like that?"

"Because she has gone Amazon crazy! She keeps buying things and having them sent here. I don't even open the boxes anymore, because I'm afraid of what is inside."

"Where is all this stuff?"

"In the garage."

"Would you like me to help you go through it all?"

"I was thinking about donating a lot of it to a women's shelter, or a family in need. There is no way that we need all of it."

"Have you thought about just sending it back?"

"I did, but I didn't want her to see it appear on her account as returned, or on her charge card. I don't want to upset or offend her, so I figured quietly getting rid of whatever we don't want might be our best option."

"What do you think about all of it Logan?" Emily asked.

"I think my mother needs her amazon account restricted. She just learned how to use that thing, and she's lost her freaking mind!"

"Well don't you worry your pretty little head about it Rory, we'll help you go through everything."

"Grandma, I was also thinking that maybe for a baby shower, which I know that you and mom are dying to throw for me, maybe since we are so fortunate, we could either not ask for gifts, but instead for a charitable donation, or for baby items that can be given to someone else who needs them. We could pay it forward instead of hogging everything for ourselves. I know that there are certain things that you and Mom are wanting to get for Ayribella, and that is completely fine, but everything else, Logan and I can more than afford to buy for ourselves, and I think it might be nice to help someone else out."

"Rory, you never cease to amaze us!" Emily smiled, looking at her granddaughter with tears in her eyes. "Of course we can do that. You have always been so selfless with how much you care about others. "

"I think it is a wonderful idea Sweetheart." Richard agreed. "You are definitely in a great position to give back. We can throw you a nice big party to honor you, Logan, and the baby, and donate all gifts to any charity you would like. We'll sit down and pick our favorites when the time gets closer, alright? I'll have my secretary get us a list."

"Thank you Grandpa, that is perfect! Mom and Grandma can plan the party for whenever they want, and Logan and I will be happy to just show up."

"Rory, Honey, what can I get you to eat?" Emily asked. "You can't just have coffee for breakfast."

"I know Grandma, I'll grab something. I'm still waiting for the nausea to go away before I eat."

"You are still getting sick?"

"It comes and goes. Today seems to be worse than other days, but I'm surviving. I've only thrown up twice."

"Logan, she's thrown up twice this morning?"

"I'm monitoring it. If she throws up again, she'll be going to either the hospital, or the clinic to get fluids." Logan told them.

"Maybe you could have the equipment you need brought to the house, and you could just treat her here when needed." Emily suggested.

"I'll talk to Paris about it. I can't order that stuff for Rory myself, I'll have to get Paris to do it for me. I thought about doing it before, but its' been just as easy to take Rory over to the hospital for a quick IV."

"Sweetheart, if you need to go to the hospital for treatment, your Grandmother and I are more than happy to go with you." Richard told her. "You don't need to hold back on our account."

"I know, and I appreciate it. I'm really ok. Logan is monitoring me. If the nausea doesn't go away soon, I'll let him take me in. I just don't want to be that girl who is always in the ER for fluids her whole pregnancy, and I really don't want to be admitted either."

"Rory, you need to do what is best for both you and the baby." Emily told her.

"I know Grandma, and I am. Logan has everything under control."

"Have you talked to Paris this morning?"

"I think Logan probably texted her. We try not to alarm her unless absolutely necessary. I've already got the Hyperemesis Gravidarum diagnosis, so we have all the medication we need to treat it. The only thing we don't have, is the IV set up for the dehydration. I just drink as much water as I can, and then switch to juice when I can't stand any more water."

"Has it always been this bad?"

"It comes and goes. I've only had 3 really bad days where I've needed fluids."

"Honey, if you aren't feeling good, then maybe we shouldn't go meet with the contractor today. We can do it another day."

"Grandma, I promise, I'm fine. Even if I'm not feeling better by the time we need to leave, I'll stay here with Mom, and you and Grandpa can go with Logan. We need to get your plans fully drawn up, so the crew can start building."

"Your health comes first young lady. Both you and the baby."

"I know Grandma. That's why I married a doctor."

"Rory, why don't you go show Emily and Richard the wall of boxes in the garage, while I call the contractor, and figure out some breakfast." Logan told her.

"There is a wall of boxes?" Richard asked as Rory got up from her chair.

"Like we said, Shira has lost her freaking mind!"

"It can't possibly be that bad." Emily said as they followed Rory out to the garage.

"Hey Rory, what's going on?" Luke asked as the trio entered the garage.

"Grandma and Grandpa are going to help me go through all the amazon orders that came in from Shira."

"Good luck with that! A couple more were dropped off this morning. I added them to your pile."

"Thanks Dad. How's the dollhouse from hell coming?"

"Would you like me to burn it down now, or later?"

"Either option works for me. Maybe we can roast marshmallows over the flames, and make smores."

"That sounds like a lot more fun than putting this damn thing together."

"You really can burn it Luke. I won't tell anyone. I'll even help you."

"No no, every little girl deserves a doll house."

"Yeah, but I would have at least paid for assembly so none of us had to do it."

"I am so happy to know that we raised you to have a brain."

"Do you want to help us open the rest of this junk?"

"Are there any more dollhouses inside?

"I honestly have no idea. I quit opening them weeks ago."

"Which explains the wall." Luke said as he followed Rory to the far side of the garage.

"Behold, the wall!" Rory said, holding her arm out toward the wall of boxes.

"Oh good lord!" Emily exclaimed in complete shock.

"I told you!"

"Why don't you two head inside, and Luke and I will start bringing these inside for you. This garage is much too cold for us all to be sitting out here." Richard said as they all started at the massive wall of boxes. There were boxes of all size, piled about five feet high and spread over about a ten foot feet long and three feet deep.

"This is just ridiculous! This is going to take hours!" Emily told them.

"Pretty much." Rory agreed.

"Well we might as well get a jump on it. You two head back inside, and we'll bring some boxes in to you." Richard said as he began reaching for boxes with Luke, then followed the ladies back into the house where Rory took a seat on the couch with Emily next to her.

"Should we make a list of some kind?" Emily asked.

"For what? I figure whatever we decide to keep, we can put on one side of the room, and the rest of the stuff can go on the other side.

"I guess that works."

"How horrible is it that I'm afraid to open this stuff?"

"It can't possibly be all that bad." Emily said as she reached for a box, and began peeling the tape back.

"Would you like a knife or some scissors?" Logan asked as he walked into the kitchen and saw what was happening.

"Yes, please." Rory answered as Logan headed their way with a couple pairs of scissors.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Someone needs to."

"I'll come help after I figure out what to eat."

"Now why in the world would a baby need a fancy jewelry box with a dancing ballerina?!" Emily asked.

"She doesn't." Logan answered.

"Good lord!"

"Just put it on the floor next to the couch, and we'll figure out where to donate it."

"An easy bake oven . . . Please shoot me!" Rory said as she set down the next gift. "The baby isn't ten, she isn't even born yet! And if several of these boxes are accessories for the easy bake oven, I might scream!"

"You're serious?! An easy bake oven?" Logan asked.

"Would you like an easy bake oven?"

"I think Honor had one growing up."

"I am so sorry!" Rory said as she reached for the next box.

"Do you want to keep these books?" Emily asked.

"Books we can definitely keep, unless there are multiples."

"Actually you may want to keep the multiples. If your baby latches onto one specific book and then loses it, you'll lose your mind trying to replace it." Luke told them.

"That's a good point." Rory agreed as she pulled a bop-it out of the box. "Oh geez! We need to give this to Mom."

"A bop-it?" Logan asked.

"It's kind of a funny story, I'll tell you later."

"This one is clothes." Emily said as she pulled some clothes out of a box.

"What size? Anything above 12 months, we don't need to keep."

"There are different sizes, but this dress for sure, I'm not sure if I should laugh, or be completely terrified of."

"What the hell is that?!" Rory asked, looking up to see a mound of lacy ruffles in Emily's hand.

"Burn it!" Logan told them. "Burn it quickly!"

"And now you know why I stopped opening things after the first few days of deliveries." Rory told them. "Anything that you think is acceptable to keep we can set aside, everything else, get rid of it. Hey Logan, would you like a giant teddy bear? I think it's about as tall as you are." Rory said as she pulled a gigantic stuffed bear out of a box.

"That's a big no from me."

"What is a Teddy Ruxpin?" Emily asked.

"Oh hell no! That thing is creepy as hell!" Rory told her. "I'm afraid it may come to life one night, and try to murder me."

"That's a no from me too." Logan agreed. "The ones we had as kids were ok, but these new ones are really creepy looking."

"Hungry Hungry Hippos game can find a new home too." Rory said after opening another box.

"Why in the world would you buy this kind of stuff for a brand new baby?!" Luke asked as he set down a few more boxes in front of the women.

"Hey Luke, call mom and tell her to bring Sookie over here. Maybe Sookie's kids want some of this junk.

"Doesn't Hungry Hungry Hippos have marbles in it?" Logan asked.

"Yep!"

"That's a choking hazard!"

"She's your mother!" Rory reminded him.

"If she wasn't getting on a plane this morning, I would be taking that thing, and throwing it at her!"

"You might still be able to. Has she left yet?"

"She had an 8am flight."

"Damn! Maybe her therapist could have talked some sense into her."

"Oh, I promise you, Gayle will definitely be getting a phone call about all of this. And an email, with pictures!"

"Do you want a rocking horse?" Emily asked.

"How big is it?" Rory asked, looking up from the box she had just cut open. "Logan, I'll leave that one up to you."

"It looks like it makes noises."

"Oh hell no! That's just asking to be terrified. Get rid of it." Rory told her as she opened another box. "Oh crap, it's a my size barbie!"

"What is a my size barbie?" Luke asked.

"It's a 4 foot tall barbie doll."

"And a baby needs that why?"

"Exactly!"

"It's like this woman bought an entire toy store!"

"Exactly! She's insane!"

"Who wants a box of Legos?" Emily asked.

"Oh now that's just ridiculous!" Logan said as he sat down in the chair next to the couch with a donut in his hand. "It's like she's purposely trying to kill our daughter with all the choking hazards."

"Hey, what's going on?" Lorelai asked a couple minutes later as she walked into the house with Sookie. "Anyone want omelets?"

"Yes please!" Logan answered. "Hey Sookie, we've got a crap ton of toys in here for your kids."

"Joseph, Mary, and the camel, what the hell is all of this?!"

"Baby presents from Shira." Rory told her.

"You really weren't kidding about her being crazy, were you?!

"Wait, all of this is for your baby?" Sookie asked.

"Technically, but now it's for your kids. Please, take whatever you'd like." Rory told her.

"My kids are too old for most of this. Except maybe Josie."

"Davey is definitely too told for this stuff, but Martha and Josie might enjoy some of it." Lorelai told her.

"There's an easy bake oven." Rory said as she opened another box, and pulled out a couple barbie dolls. "Do your girls like barbies?"

"Josie still plays with barbies, but Martha is pretty over them. She's ten now, but thinks she's a teenager. She's into slime, makeup, and music."

"Well if there is anything here that you want to take home with you, please, take it. You can give it to your kids, your friends kids, your kids' school, whoever you want." Logan told her as Sookie handed him a plate with an omelet on it. "Thank you, this looks delicious!"

"Rory, would you like one?"

"I'm still pretty nauseous, but I'll try to eat a little bit. No promises on if it'll stay down, or not."

"This box is onesies." Emily said as she pulled more baby clothes out of a box, then reached for another.

"Can I join the fun?" Lorelai asked.

"It's your nightmare." Rory told her as she reached for another box, and cut it open. "Logan, she bought a barbie dream house!"

"I'll definitely take that one." Sookie spoke up. "Josie has been begging us for one of those."

"Sold! To the highest bidder!" Rory said handing the box to Sookie, and taking an omelet plate.

"Why would a baby need a barbie travel camper?" Lorelai asked as she opened the next box.

"I'll take that too." Sookie told her. "Logan, your mother really bought all of this for your baby?"

"Apparently she forgot how old babies her. It's like she thinks that they come out as 6 year olds or something." Logan told them.

"Shira definitely bought out Amazon's toy department." Richard said as he set down a few more boxes.

"Hey guys, there's a giant box out there that says it's a ride on barbie jeep. You don't want me to bring that in, right?" Luke asked.

"Nope! Do you think it's big enough for Josie to ride on, or would she be too big for it?" Lorelai asked.

"I have no idea. You guys can go look at it before we head out this afternoon."

"Here are a few more books." Emily said as she set a few more books down in the keep pile.

_**~ * ~ * ~ * Later that afternoon * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Logan asked as he walked into his bedroom with Emily after the meeting with the contractor, to see Lorelai and Rory lying in bed, watching tv.

"I'm ok." Rory answered, looking up at him. "How was your meeting?"

"It was good, we got the building plans all finalized. The crew starts work here Monday morning."

"That's awesome!"

"Your Grandma is excited to start decorating."

"Oh, I bet she is." Lorelai commented.

"What about you, how are you doing?" Emily asked as she took a seat on the foot of the bed. "You still feeling sick?"

"She hasn't thrown up again since the omelets, but she's been laying here, sleeping off and on. I was thinking that maybe I shouldn't leave today with Sookie and Luke. I can stay and help out until Rory is feeling better."

"No, Mom, you need to get back to work. You've taken a lot of time off for me lately. I can't ask you to take any more."

"Lorelai, don't worry about it. You can go home, I'll stay with Rory." Emily offered.

"Mom, you and Dad were heading home today too."

"I know, but your father is fully retired now, so there is nothing urgent that we need to get back for. You've got your Inn to get back to. Don't worry about anything, your father and I will stay here and take are of Rory. You go home, go back to work."

"Are you sure Mom, because I really don't mind."

"Yes Lorelai, I'm sure. You need to get back to the Inn. I honestly have nothing that needs my immediate attention. I'll stay with Rory."

"Emily, you don't need to stay if you don't want to. I'll take care of her." Logan told them.

"Don't be silly Logan. We are happy to stay. Let us help out." Emily told him.

"Rory?" Logan asked.

"I have no complaints." Rory told them.

"Ok, if you're sure." Lorelai said as she started to get up. "I'm going to head downstairs and get everything together. We'll come say bye before we leave."

"Thanks Lorelai." Logan said as she left the room and Emily took her place on the bed next to Rory.

"What are you watching?" Emily asked.

"I have no idea. I've been mostly sleeping."

"Do you need some medicine, anything to drink?"

"No thank you, I'm ok."

"Rory, you've thrown up 4 times today. How much have you had to drink since we left?" Logan asked.

"I drank a little bit of water."

"From the bottle next to you? Is that the same bottle I gave you before leaving?"

"Yeah."

"Rory, the bottle is still full. You need to be drinking more. I'm going to have to take you down to get fluids."

"Do we have to?"

"Honey, I'll go with you." Emily told her. "I'll stay with you the whole time."

"Do you want to go to the ER or the clinic?" Logan asked.

"Wherever you and Paris won't be fighting the whole time."

"ER it is. I'm going to have to tell her because she's your doctor, but I'll let Doctor Greenley run the show today. And even if Paris shows up, I'm sure that Emily will keep her in line. I'll even see if Doctor Greenley will get the paperwork started for you to get IV therapy at home."

"That would be nice. I hate having to go sit in the hospital for hours."

"Honey, that is perfectly understandable." Emily told her.

"We won't go right away, ok? We'll wait until everybody leaves." Logan told her.


	63. Chapter 63

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

Things may really slow down update wise. We are moving pretty soon, so I'll be busy packing up my house and taking care of the kids. I'll try to write and update as much as I can, but if it takes me a while, that is why.

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy. The covid numbers where I live are spiking like crazy! Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! My poor husband was exposed two more times while at work yesterday. Thank goodness he's been wearing a mask but one of the people (who happened to be the sickest) wasn't as smart. If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! I am so glad you guys are loving this story! Your kind words mean a lot to me, and help keep me going. Thank you so much!

* * *

"Hey Logan, Hugo is coming in this morning. Did you want to meet with him with me?"

"Do you need me to?"

"Well, we never even talked about it. At the party a few weeks ago, it just popped into my head that he would be perfect to add to the board, and I just dropped it on him, right in the middle of everything. You and I hadn't even talked about it, so I figured we should probably do that now before he gets here."

"I trust your judgment. If you think Hugo would be a good addition to the board, then let's do it."

"You don't want to talk about it?"

"Do you really think that we need to? I like Hugo. He's a great guy. This is your company Ace. You can bring in whoever you want."

"I know, but it's still your family business, so you get to have an opinion on what happens here."

"I think that Hugo is a good choice."

"The one thing I thought of the other day while we were sitting in the hospital, is what about Hugo's business? Would it be a conflict of interest for him to be on the board?"

"I don't think so. Hugo is an incredible businessman. I think having his opinion on everything would be a great addition. He might be a little concerned that we might be trying to buy his online magazine out from underneath him."

"I would never do that. I love his magazine! He gave me the job on the campaign trail. Hugo has my loyalty for life. He was an amazing boss!"

"Well there you go. Just tell him that."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"So you don't want to meet with him with me?"

"Do you need me to? What time is he coming in, because I have a patient in twenty minutes."

"In about an hour."

"I'll black out a couple hours on my calendar, and we can give him a tour."

"Thank you Logan."

"No problem. I'm heading downstairs, do you need me to bring you anything when I come back up?"

"Like what, body parts?"

"I was thinking more like some kind of snack or something, but never mind."

"I'll text you if I start craving anything. Actually, let's order Vietnamese food today."

"You want your usual order?"

"Spring rolls, lemon chicken, and phó."

"That actually sounds delicious! Maybe we should just take Hugo out when he gets here."

"That works too."

"I'll be back when I'm done with my patient."

"Hugo should be here at 11."

"Have Doyle clear a few hours for lunch."

"I will. Love you." Rory said giving Logan a kiss before he left her office, and headed downstairs to the clinic.

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * 11:15am * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Hugo, it's great to see you, man!" Logan said as he walked into Rory's office.

"Hey Logan! Glad you could make it."

"Sorry I'm a little late, I ended up seeing two patients instead of just one."

"That's ok. How is everything going with the clinic?"

"It's going very well. It's actually been a lot less stressful running the clinic than working in the ER. It's only been a few days, but so far I really love it."

"I can imagine the ER is pretty tough. I'm sure you've seen all kinds of stuff going through there."

"You have no idea." Logan said with a chuckle as he took a seat in the chair next to Hugo, in front of Rory's desk.

"Do you have any favorite stories from your days in the trenches?"

"Not really. I've seen a couple severed limbs, lots of stitches, lots of viruses and concussions. A bunch of torn muscles, kidney stones, broken bones, asthma attacks . . . FDNY has an amazing crew! They usually have the bleeding under control before patients arrive at the ER, and they do a good job with cauterization and packing wounds."

"You don't have any favorite patient stories?"

"Not that I can think of off the top of my head, except maybe the day Rory was brought in."

"And what was Rory brought in for?" Hugo asked looking up at Rory who was blushing.

"I might have knocked my tool caddy off my desk with my coffee cup, and then stupidly reached my hand out to catch everything." Rory told him.

"Her scissors went right through her hand." Logan finished for her.

"Ouch! That had to hurt!"

"Like you wouldn't believe!" Rory agreed.

"We hadn't seen each other since we split up, until we ran into each other at a coffee shop that morning. And then a few hours later I'm walking in to see a patient that was just brought in by the paramedics, and I'm reading the intake and treatment information from the ambulance, and the name says Lorelai Gilmore."

"Wow! That's crazy!"

"You're telling me!" Logan agreed. "I was shocked. It was definitely something that I never expected."

"So you guys got back together that day?"

"The next day." Rory confirmed.

"Wow, and look at you two now! You both seem really happy."

"We are." Logan smiled as he leaned back in his chair. "Life just makes sense again."

"I missed you on the campaign trail last year Rory. You were my best writer."

"I missed it, but there was no way I could have gone back out."

"Too much traveling?"

"No, the traveling wasn't too bad. It was mostly the candidates. I just wouldn't have been able to put my all into my work when I felt so strongly conflicted about the two main contenders. The whole election seemed more like a childhood temper tantrum than a presidential campaign. I couldn't stand the constant sniping at each other, and tearing each other down. It was a massive smear campaign with both major parties, and that isn't something that I wanted to be a part of."

"Why don't we go get some lunch." Logan suggested, changing the subject. "Rory was craving Vietnamese food earlier, and we thought we would take you out."

"That sounds great." Hugo agreed. "I love Vietnamese food."

"Fabulous! We are using a car service until the media frenzy calms down. Do you want to ride over with us?"

"Sure. I have the rest of the day free for you guys. Maybe you can give me a tour of your clinic when we get back."

"I would love to." Logan agreed as they all got up, and Rory reached for both hers and Logan's jackets that were hanging from the coat rack next to the bookcase behind her desk.

"So Rory, the other night you mentioned wanting me to join the HPG board, and I can't help by wonder why?" Hugo asked about forty minutes later, as the trio sat in the Pho Grand restaurant in New York city, talking while enjoying some delicious food.

"It's funny that you ask that because I really don't have much of an answer. Ever since stepping in for Mitchum, I've been fighting with aging family members over everything they can possibly think of to argue with me about, and it's really gotten annoying. Every time I turn around, someone else wants to give me attitude, and it's all been completely ridiculous. They pick fights over the absolute stupidest things, just for the sake of fighting, and I can't possibly get anything done with them always opposing everything."

"That sounds like a nightmare."

"It is." Logan agreed. "They used to argue with my Dad too, but they at least weren't anywhere near half as disrespectful to him as they are to Rory."

"I'm done playing nice, and trying to defend myself over every little thing to people who are completely clueless about journalism, and newspaper publishing. These guys have literally only had their positions with the company because of their last name, and they're old as dirt, so I've begun pushing them out. Some people I've been nice to. One of them I managed to convince to retire, and I paid for his move to the Cayman Islands. Another one I basically had to have arrested because he refused to get out of my face. I had to fire him for hostile work environment and insubordination, and then the jerk refused to leave my office, so we had to have security get him out of my face, and then call the police to make him leave the building. It's been completely exhausting!" Rory continued explaining.

"Sounds like it." Hugo agreed.

"Every time I boot someone off the board, I end up with a spot to fill. The first person I removed was replaced by my Grandfather. My Grandpa has run a successful business for over 40 years, and his input has been invaluable. He doesn't know much about the publishing world, but his business experience is exactly the help I've needed. You know my background. I've been writing for years, I worked on the Yale Daily News, and my high school paper, then I worked for you, then the New York Times. I have a ton of writing and editing experience, but not so much with publishing, which is where you come in. You know this industry. You have your own e-paper, and two other successful businesses. I've been racking my brain for several weeks now, trying to think of who I could add to the board that would be a benefit to all of us, and until the other night, I just couldn't think of anyone who I felt would be an asset rather than a hindrance. But then you were at the party, and everything just clicked. You are the perfect person to fill the void. I like you, I know that you can be counted on to actually show up and contribute positively, and you have experience in this industry. You know the business better than I do, and I really think that adding you to the board of directors will not just benefit me, but the company as a whole."

"What all does the job entail?"

"Mostly just showing up for board meetings. My grandpa doesn't always join us in person since he lives in Hartford, but he does join us via video conference. We go over everything that is going on with the company, address concerns, discuss projects, budgets, plans for moving forward, that kind of thing. Anything that is up for debate, or needs a majority vote, the board gets a say in. There really hasn't been a need for a vote on anything since I've taken over because I just haven't seen any reason for it with the changes I've made so far. But I'm sure that things will start to come up as we expand in the future. We are buying more newspapers all over the world, and just acquiring the rights to our first magazine, and working on publishing our very first book. There is a ton going on, and I really think that having you on board as we grow will bring a lot of experience to the board, and you would kind of be who I lean on for advice, and direction. You've been doing all of this a lot longer than I have, and I am just learning the CEO position, and I'm definitely not the shark that Mitchum is. Logan has way more experience at this stuff than I do, but he has zero interest in any of it. He's got his medical career, and that's perfectly fine, I would never ask him to give that up. Logan helps me out a lot, and gives me a ton of great advice, but he tries to stay out of the business side of things as much as he can. He's been training me since asking me to step in when Mitchum had his first heart attack, but sometimes it's like pulling teeth with him. Logan hates being at HPG. He's really only here because I am."

"Is this true Logan? You're only here because of Rory?"

"Yep! I've been on the board basically since birth, but I've ditched more meetings than I've been to, mostly to annoy the crap out of my dad, and also because I hate that place! HPG was never somewhere that I wanted to be. It was just something that was expected of me. From the day I was born, it was expected that someday I would take over the company when my Dad finally decided to retire. But it's never been what I wanted for myself. When my Dad got sick, it was expected that I would step in to run things, but I just don't want it. My sister doesn't want it either, but the one person we could think of who we knew we could trust to not run the company into the ground, and wouldn't stab us in the back, was Rory. I begged, and Rory being who she is, agreed to step in. She even got fired from the Times due to conflict of interest because she agreed to help me out. I've been trying to help Rory, and being in the office has definitely grown on me a little bit. It's still far from being my favorite place in the world, but I'm there because it's where Rory is. I can literally sit there all day, just staring at her, and there is no one busting me for day dreaming. I don't have to make up excuses to call her, just to hear the sound of her voice, or to go home early because I miss hanging out with her. I get to spend all day with my best friend, and I love that. Rory of course forces me to actually work, and help her out. She claims this whole CEO thing is a team effort, and that I'm really the one running the show while she's just the pretty face everyone sees, and the name on the company letterhead. But honestly, if it weren't for Rory, I wouldn't be here at all. I help her out because she's my wife, and we make a really good team. But in all honesty, I'm mostly there for the pretty face to stare at. I can think of a million places that I would rather be, and if it weren't for Rory, HPG wouldn't ever be on my list." Logan explained

"As I remember it Logan, you are a great leader, and would have been awesome stepping in for your Dad."

"I've heard that a lot over the years, but it's just not something that I have ever been interested in doing."

"How many board members are there?"

"Nineteen currently, with one spot open, but I'm actually wondering if we really need that many, and if I can somehow downgrade to around ten or twelve." Rory answered.

"Is there a salary that comes with the position?"

"There is, and shares of HPG stock. Most of the board members work in different areas of the office, so their salary for being on the board is built into what they're making working for the company in their various positions. My Grandpa I have an actual salary just for being on the board. He's fully retired, and insists that he doesn't need any financial incentive to help me out, so he's putting the money into a college account and stuff for our baby. I'm the sole heir to my family's estates, so it's not like I really need the money either, but my Grandpa insists on leaving something to the next generation, so he's got all kinds of various accounts set up for us. I am happy to offer you the same salary, and even negotiate a little more with you, because of your experience. You can give me a number, and as long as it's reasonable, I'll sign off on it."

"What about my magazine. Do you think that would be a conflict of interest?"

"I don't think so. I don't have a problem with you being a competitor. If you wanted me to, I could technically buy you out, and make your magazine part of HPG. Normally, that isn't even something I would consider doing, because we're friends, and I would never go after your company. I would never want to interfere in your business. I loved working for you. You were an awesome boss, and you gave me my start after college. I had an amazing time on the campaign trail while working for you, and experience I wouldn't trade for anything in this world. It was such an adventure and a time of tremendous growth for me. I absolutely loved everything that I did and learned. You took great care of me. You gave me the freedom to jump in head first, and really learn how to be a traveling political reporter. It's something that I hadn't ever done before, but it was an incredible, invaluable experience. I can't possibly thank you enough for all of that. It's because of you that I am here today. Working for you helped build my confidence as a reporter, and made me really love my job."

"What if I wanted you to buy my magazine?"

"If that is what you want, then I am happy to do it. It's the least I can do after everything you've done for me. Give me a number, and we'll get it done."

"My readership has started to slip a little bit as people migrate back to bigger names. Especially given the political ramifications of certain public figures screaming 'fake news' about everything. People are basically forced to stick with the major papers because the smaller ones 'can't be trusted' to tell the truth. It's gotten completely ridiculous. The constitution gave us the freedom of press, right in the first amendment. For decades, we've retained the right to freely report the news and circulate opinions without censorship from the government. However, certain politicians and government officials no longer believe in following the rules, and want to dictate everything that goes on in this country. It's only been a few weeks since the changeover in the government, but it's already become my personal nightmare. I've had my reporter verbally attacked, for no reason other than that she asked for clarification on a statement that was made. It's completely ridiculous! Because of the lack of transparency lately, I think it might be best merge with a bigger company, in order to keep the business going, and maintain credibility."

"Did you hear that I turned down going to the inauguration?"

"No way!"

"You know that I was there when Obama was inaugurated. It was such an incredible experience. I was only invited this year, because I'm running HPG. But I couldn't even fathom risking my name and reputation by being a part of that this time. I need to use my position to remain objective, and not appear to accept favors or handouts from politicians. It wouldn't be fair to our readers for me to appear to be anybody's puppet. I believe in the freedom of press, and I will fight with my last breath or keep our papers going and censor free. The only person who I will allow to censor what is published in HPG's papers, is ME! And maybe Logan. It wouldn't be right for it to appear as if I'm in cahoots with any government officials. I won't be going to any government events, or fundraising parties. I need to remain neutral and keep HPG a trusted media source. If any government officials have a problem with how I am doing things, then I am happy to sit down in a public forum with them, to discuss the beauty of the free press. But my loyalty can't and won't be bought."

"See, this is why I like you! You aren't afraid to stand up for what is right, and for what you believe in. You won't allow yourself to be bullied by corporate America."

"Heck no! I wasn't raised that way. I was raised by a single mom, in a tiny town in Connecticut, and I wasn't handed everything on a silver platter the way other kids from more wealthy families were."

"Aka the Huntzbergers." Logan commented.

"I've always been 'the little guy'. I have an obligation to stand up for people just like me, and that isn't going to change any time soon. It's who I am."

"I would love to work with you guys! It would be a pleasure to partner with you Rory. I think we could definitely make a good team."

"Excellent! I am so glad that you think so!" Rory told him.

"You are exactly the leader that HPG needs. They need someone who isn't in anyone else's pocket. Someone who can't be bought. You believe in standing up for people just like you and not taking money from crooked politicians who are only interested in furthering their own misguided agendas. You would make an amazing politician if that is the route you wanted to go someday."

"Yeah, no thank you. Being the CEO at HPG is way more public exposure than I will ever be comfortable with. I have no idea why people are so fascinated with my life. I will never understand why tabloids insist on following us and trying to shove their nose into our lives. I'm a really boring person. I like to sit home and read. I don't even watch much TV. I've never been a party person. I just study and read. I like to keep to myself. There really isn't anything to find with me. What you see is exactly what you get. I don't even buy fancy designer clothes. The only designer stuff I have was given to me by either my Grandmother or a Huntzberger. I'm just that plain girl from the tiny town in the middle of nowhere."

"Moving to New York must have been a huge adjustment for you."

"It has been. I go home to visit as much as I can. I really enjoy the tiny town life. I miss the simplicity of it all. Back home I could walk everywhere, and everyone is super friendly and knows each other. Of course, most of the town is all up in each other's business, but it's not tabloid fodder. People actually care about each other, and look out for you. When I was at Yale and my mom and her husband were dating, and split up for a while, the entire town took sides. It was totally ridiculous! But that's the kind of town it is. They all love each other and so invested in your life that they're basically family, and a break up affects everyone."

"That sounds crazy!"

"It was. It was absolutely insane. No one should ever be that invested in someone else's relationship."

"What about the entire town being upset that they couldn't go to your graduation because each student only got 4 tickets?" Logan asked.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. The town tried to stage a re-enactment of my graduation because they were all so upset about not getting to be there. They even talked about holding auditions to figure out who would play me."

"Are you serious?"

"I wish I was joking. They put on these crazy fun events that you would just cringe thinking about, but they're so much fun, and it's the charm of living in Stars Hollow."

"They do this annual Spring Fling Festival, and the year I went, the mayor covered the entire town in hay for a massive hay bale maze. Rory was telling me that they usually have game and food booths all over the place, but that year all the event funding was reallocated to the hay bale maze. Everyone was pretty pissed, but it ended up being really fun." Logan chimed in.

"That definitely sounds different. I didn't grow up anything like that."

"See, and that is exactly how I was raised. The town is so tiny and invested in everyone else' lives that it's like you have 500 parents. You really couldn't do anything without the entire town knowing about it. My second boyfriend was basically run out of town because we got in a very minor car accident together, and I broke my arm hitting the dashboard. People still hold grudges to this day, and I was 17 when it happened. The guy is now my cousin after my mom married his uncle."

"Small town life sounds interesting."

"It's definitely different. Living in the city, you rarely know your neighbors. We only know one of ours, and it's Logan's sister."

"You live in the same neighborhood as your sister?" Hugo asked.

"My sister and I are super close. I lived with her while I went to medical school, and after Rory and I got married, and were looking for a house to buy, Honor knew the people across the street were selling, and got them to agree to show us the house. We fell in love with it, and having my sister right there is great! We love living so close." Logan told him.

"We all go back and forth all the time. We changed the locks out on the doors to key pad locks, just to make it so we didn't have to carry keys with us. When my entire family comes to town like they did over Christmas, instead of having to put people on air mattresses on the floor, we just put them in a bedroom over at Honor's house. It's super convenient!"

"That's awesome! Going home for family stuff can be such a hassle. There are always so many people all over the place." Hugo commented.

"I never had a big family growing up, so this was my first experience with a family holiday."

"How did you like it?"

"I actually loved it. It was just my Mom and I growing up, and my mom and grandparents were never close until after I graduated from college. We're all pretty close now, and it's actually been really great. I love having them all around."

"That is really nice.! I only have a of couple siblings, but I had a ton of cousins growing up, so things get pretty crazy when everyone gets together."

"I tried my best to skip out on large family gatherings when I was growing up. Family stuff was always more of attack on how badly I was screwing up rather than an actual enjoyable event, so I did everything I could to not be there." Logan added.

"I know what you mean. I had quite a few of those myself. Rory, this was a really good call getting Vietnamese food. I am completely stuffed!"

"Me too! I love it here. I didn't know what to expect when Logan first brought me, but the food is amazing!"

"Do you guys come here a lot?"

"We would if we didn't have a ton of food at home. Every time my parents are in town, my Step Dad spends the entire time cooking, and loads our freezer up with meals for us to just heat up. And Honor has a chef that helps out since Mitchum is staying with her, so we eat there a lot too."

"Your Step Dad cooks for you? That must be nice."

"He runs a diner back home in Stars Hollow, so he's been feeding me most of my life. My mom and I are pretty much junk food fiends, so Luke makes a point of making sure I eat something healthy."

"Luke forgets that unlike Rory and her mother, I actually know how to cook."

"It has to be nice though to not have to do it all the time."

"It is, we really appreciate it. Luke is an amazing cook. And Rory's mom runs an Inn, and the chef there is absolutely incredible! She made all the food for the clinic opening and for my birthday party. Then she spent the morning before she left making everyone a huge breakfast, and cooking us several meals to freeze for later." Logan told him.

"Nice! Maybe I'll have to come eat at your house one day."

"Any time you want!" Rory agreed.


	64. Chapter 64

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

Things may really slow down update wise. We are moving pretty soon, so I'll be busy packing up my house and taking care of the kids. I'll try to write and update as much as I can, but if it takes me a while, that is why.

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy. The covid numbers where I live are spiking like crazy! Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! I am so glad you guys are loving this story! Your kind words mean a lot to me, and help keep me going. Thank you so much!

* * *

Rory woke up in the middle of the night, gasping for air. Looking around the room, everything was dark except the glow from the clock next the bed that read 2:36am. Next to her, Logan was still asleep with his arm draped over her chest. Something felt off, she just knew it, but she wasn't sure what exactly was wrong.

"Logan . . . Logan, wake up." Rory said nudging her husband with her arm, but he just groaned. "Logan, wake up. Something is wrong."

"It's the middle of the night, go back to sleep." he mumbled, still not opening his eyes.

"Logan, come on."

"Why are you awake?"

"I had a really bad dream, and it feels like something is wrong."

"I'm sure everything is fine, go back to sleep. We can deal with it in the morning."

"Logan, I need you to wake up. Please."

"Why? What time is it?"

"It's after 2:30."

"Why are you awake?" Logan asked again, finally opening his eyes.

"I had a really bad dream, and something feels off."

"What do you mean. What's going on?"

"Do we have one of those baby monitor things?"

"Not here at the house, no. We talked about getting one, but I have one at the clinic, so we decided not to. Why? What's up?"

"Something is wrong, I can feel it."

"What do you mean something is wrong?"

"I don't know, something just feels wrong. But I don't know what it is."

"Is the baby moving?"

"Not right now. I don't feel anything."

"Did you try pushing on her?"

"I'm trying, she's not moving."

"She could just be asleep. It's the middle of the night. I'm sure everything is fine. Let's go back to sleep, we can check everything out in the morning."

"You really don't have a monitor thing?"

"No, you told me we didn't need one since I have one at the office."

"Well can you go get it?"

"Right now? Babe, it's the middle of the night."

"So . . ."

"You want me to go to the office, in the middle of the night?"

"Something is wrong Logan, and I need you to get the monitor to check the baby. Please?" Rory begged.

"Ok, ok. I'm getting up, calm down. I'm sure everything is fine. There is nothing to panic about." Logan said as he sat up, and started to get out of bed.

"Something is wrong." Rory told him as tears sprang to her eyes.

"Come here . . . I need you to calm down, and take deep breaths, ok? You aren't doing anyone any good by panicking." Logan said as he reached for her wrist. "You need to calm down, your pulse is racing right now. I'll get dressed and go get the monitor from the office."

"Why don't we have one here? Don't you have everything in your medical bag?"

"My bag is in the car, and no, I don't have a Doppler or an ultrasound in my bag. I have one at the office, and at the hospital. I only have the basics in my bag."

"Can we get one?"

"A Doppler, yes. Ultrasounds cost thousands of dollars, and I'm pretty sure that I can't get one for home use."

"Why not?"

"Because that is a machine that can only be used professionally with the proper training."

"But you have one at the office?"

"The hospital leased one to the clinic."

"Let's go." Rory said as she climbed out of bed, and walked across the room to pick up the sweatshirt she had tossed on a chair before going to bed, pulling it over her head.

"You're coming?"

"Obviously."

"You realize that it's early March, and freezing outside right now."

"I'm not stupid. I'll put a coat on. Grab me my warm boots out of the closet."

*** ~ * ~ * ~ * 30 minutes later * ~ * ~ * ~ ***

"Hey Paris . . . I'm sorry to wake you. Rory's blood pressure is pretty high." Logan said, as Paris answered the phone.

"What time is it?"

"Almost 3:30. Rory woke up an hour ago from a bad dream, and felt like something was off. She demanded I come to the clinic to get the Doppler to check the baby, then decided to come with me. Her heart was racing before we left the house, but it's gone back down significantly. It's still high, but not as bad as it was. I figured since we're at the clinic, I would do a quick check to calm her down. The baby's heart rate seems normal, but Rory's blood pressure is pretty high. I can take care of everything, but I wanted to let you know in case you want me to take her to L&D."

"What is it at?"

"160 over 90."

"She's hypertensive."

"I know."

"Do you have the equipment to check urine protein?"

"No, but I can run over to the hospital."

"I'll meet you there. You have an ultrasound right?"

"I do. It looks normal to me, but then again I don't exactly know the specifics of what to look for."

"Is the baby moving?"

"Not much, it looks like she's sleeping."

"Lucky! My kids liked to kick the crap out of me in the middle of the night."

"That's unfortunate."

"Can you check blood sugar?"

"I already did, it's normal."

"Is she dizzy, vomiting, or have any problems seeing?"

"She's been light headed and super nauseous lately. The morning sickness is pretty much never ending."

"Does she have any pain?"

"Not that she's told me about."

"What about swelling or weight gain?"

"Aren't those normal for pregnancy?"

"To an extent. Take her to the ER and have them run a blood and urine panel, and email me the results. Get her an IV, and have whoever is there call me when the lab results come in so I can go over them. It sounds like gestational hypertension. I promised my kids I would make them pancakes when they wake up, so I'm going to try to get a few more hours of sleep. I'll be there at 8, unless there is something urgent that I'm needed for sooner. I'm pretty sure you know how to handle this."

"You taught me how."

"The ER can't do an NST, right?"

"No, only L&D can do that."

"Go to L&D then. Tell them I need a full work up, blood, urine, organ, NST. I'm going back to sleep. Call me when the lab emails the results."

"Thanks Paris."

"Tell Rory not to worry. Everything will be fine. And if she's hungry, feed her before you get to the hospital because they won't allow her to eat until testing is complete."

"I'll grab tacos on the way."

"Good idea. I'm going back to sleep."

"Goodnight Paris." Logan said, then hung up the phone, and walked back into his office where Rory was relaxing in the chair behind his desk. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Rory asked as Logan reached to help her out of the chair.

"Taco shop."

"Ok?"

"I told Paris I would feed you on the way to the hospital."

"We're going to the hospital? What's going on?"

"Your blood pressure is really high. You need lab work and monitoring."

"Is the baby ok?"

"At the moment. Everything will be fine. Paris wants me to take you in for testing. She'll meet us there after making the twins pancakes."

"Paris makes good pancakes."

"I didn't know Paris could actually cook."

"She can, she just doesn't."

"Come on, let's go get tacos."

"I want Belgian waffles from Mirabello's."

"They're not open yet, but we can have some delivered later."

"That sounds amazing." Rory said as she got up, and Logan helped her back into her coat.

"What else did Paris say?" Rory asked as Logan escorted her out of the office, and across the lobby of the HPG building, heading for the door to the parking garage.

"She says you need lab work, and an IV."

"And? What aren't you telling me?"

"Everything is fine. Your blood pressure is a little high. We're going to run some tests to figure out why."

"But the baby is ok?"

"It looks that way."

"But?"

"You need tests and monitoring."

"Logan . . ."

"Yes?"

"Do I need to ask Doctor Google?"

"That's not a good idea. Doctor google will tell you that you're dying and that's not the case at all."

"So then tell me what is really going on?"

"I don't have any other information for you. I promise that I'll tell you when I do. But for right now, I just really need for you to trust me, and try to stay calm, ok? Let Paris and I handle everything."

"You said Paris isn't coming until after breakfast."

"That's right." Logan said as he helped Rory into the car, then got in himself, and backed out of the parking spot.

"So it's nothing super urgent then, if Paris isn't rushing right over."

"That's right. We just need to get some labs. Everything is fine. I'm going to get you some tacos to eat, then take you to the hospital, get you up on the monitors, draw some blood and have you give us some urine, and then you can go to sleep while we wait for the results from the lab."

"And then what happens?"

"And then we figure out what to do from there."

"Which means what?"

"Which means that you aren't working today."

"You know more than you're telling me. You're worried about something."

"Of course I'm worried about something. You're my wife. I get to worry about you."

"You really aren't going to tell me?"

"I already told you everything I know."

"Except that you haven't."

"Ace, come on. Please stop asking me for information."

"Because?"

"Because I'm not going to tell you anything that is going to freak you out."

"So there is something to be worried about."

"You have high blood pressure. That isn't good for anybody. You know that."

"Am I having a heart attack?"

"No, definitely not."

"You said my pulse was high."

"It's elevated."

"And that's bad for the baby."

"It can be. That's why we are going to run tests."

"Am I being admitted?"

"I don't know."

"But there is a possibility."

"There could be, yes. But fortunately for you, you live with a doctor, so you can be monitored at home just as easily as you can the hospital."

"But?"

"But we'll see what the test results say. Now please, try to relax."

"Do I need to call my mom?"

"At 3:30 in the morning? No. I'll call her later if we need to. There is no point in waking people up right now when we don't have any information. I'll text Honor and have her bring us laptops and phone chargers when she wakes up, but there is no reason to wake anyone up right now."

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * 4:00am * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Doctor Huntzberger, what a pleasant surprise. You didn't get called in, did you?" the nurse at the desk in the ER asked as Logan and Rory approached her.

"Not today. Will you call up to L&D and let them know that I'm bringing up a patient please? Have them get a room ready. Tell them I have orders from Doctor Gellar."

"Will do."

"Thanks Claudia." Logan said as the nurse reached for the phone, and Logan escorted Rory through the emergency room.

"Still not giving details?" Rory asked.

"It's none of anyone's business."

"And giving details means that I get information that you don't want me having."

"Ace, come on. Don't be like that."

"Pretty much the entire staff here knows that I'm your wife by now."

"And?"

"Obviously you're bringing me in for something, and taking me to labor and delivery means that there is something wrong with the baby."

"Not necessarily the baby. We take pregnant patients to labor and delivery because there are ton of germs in the emergency room, and it's flu season, meaning that keeping you in there could cause you to get sick, which could cause additional problems to the baby. We are going to labor and delivery because it is the safer option for both of you."

"And because there is a problem with the baby."

"Not yet, but if we don't treat your high blood pressure, it could turn into a problem for the baby."

"Logan, why won't you just tell me what's going on?"

"I will when we get the test results. There is no reason to worry you about something that we don't even know exists yet."

"So something is wrong then."

"Rory, why are you peppering me with so many questions today?"

"Because I know that you are hiding something from me, and I want to know what it is. We don't keep secrets from each other, Logan."

"I will tell you everything once I know for sure. I promise. Now please, will you just let it go for a while?" Logan asked as he pressed the button on the wall for the elevator, and the door next to it opened for them to step inside.

"Logan . . ."

"Babe, come on. You trust me, right?"

"You know that I do.

"Then will you please stop with the questions? I promise to tell you as soon as I know something. But for right now I really need you to just calm down, and try to relax. We need to get your blood pressure under control, and having you stressing out and asking me a ton of questions about something that I don't have answers to, really isn't helping anything. It's 4am, neither one of us has slept more than a few hours, we're both exhausted and grouchy, and the hospital is the absolute last place that either one of us really wants to be right now. So please, will you just try to relax for me? We are going to get you in bed, hooked up to the monitors, get the lab work that we need sent off, and then I promise, I will curl up with you and we can both get some sleep until Paris comes in with the test results."

"Am I being admitted?"

"I don't know yet. We'll see how it goes, ok?" Logan told her with a sigh.

"You're mad."

"I'm not mad, I'm tired."

"You're annoyed with me."

"I'm not annoyed with you. I'm just getting frustrated with all the questions that I can't answer. If I had information for you, I would tell you. You know that I would. But right now, I can't tell you something that I know nothing about. I really need you to just calm down, and let this go for now."

"I have a right to know what is going on. I'm an adult, and it's my body."

"Rory, please! Babe, I love you, but this is getting pointless. I've given you all the information that I have. But right now, I need you to calm down, and let me and the nurses do our jobs."

"This isn't fair."

"You are worse at being a patient than my Dad is."

"You normally like having me as a patient." Rory said as the elevator doors opened and Logan led her down another hall, toward a large set of doors.

"Because you're usually docile and let me do my job without asking a billion questions." he answered as he reached up to press a button on the wall.

"Nurses station." a voice answered.

"It's Doctor Huntzberger."

"Come on in." the voice said, as they heard a buzz, then saw electronic doors start to open in front of them. Logan led Rory through the doors to the nurses station where they were greeted by two nurses.

"Doctor Huntzberger, room number 9 is ready for your patient. Is she registered?" one of the nurses asked.

"Not yet, but I'll take care of it, if you wouldn't mind logging in for me. I have orders from Doctor Gellar. I need monitors, and a full work up."

"No problem, right this way. I'm Amelia, and I'll be here to help you out for the next few hours."

"Thank you Amelia. This is my wife, Rory. She woke up around 2:30 with a racing pulse and high blood pressure."

"And you spoke to Doctor Gellar already?"

"She's Rory's best friend."

"No offense, but I wasn't aware that she actually had many friends. Everyone here is terrified of her."

"She prefers it that way." Rory spoke up. "Don't take it personally. And don't worry, I'm nothing like her."

"Well I am very glad to hear that." Amelia smiled as they walked into a room. The bathroom is right here Mrs. Huntzberger. Go ahead and take all of your clothing off, and put this gown on. When you're finished, I'll help you into bed, and get you hooked up to the monitors."

"We'll need a urinalysis." Logan told her.

"Right here." Amelia smiled, as she handed Rory a gown, and a plastic cup with a lid on it.

"Babe, do you need help?" Logan asked as Rory took the gown and cup from the nurse.

"No, I can handle it." Rory answered, as she took off her coat, and headed into the bathroom.

"I'll leave a bag on the bed for your belongings. You can just put them it all in the closet when you are finished." Amelia told her as she moved over to the computer, and logged in, then stepped away to allow Logan to take over.

"Thanks Amelia. Has Doctor Gellar called at all?" Logan asked.

"Not that I know of."

"I need to know if and when she does. I'll put all the orders in. Who is the attending right now?"

"That would be Patrice. She's our P.A."

"You only have a physician's Assistant? There isn't a doctor here over night?"

"It's been a slow night. Doctor Handell is on call until 8am."

"Well I guess I can help out if you need it, but I really don't have much obstetrics training."

"Thank you. I will let Patrice know."

"Would you mind grabbing me an IV kit and some testing vials?"

"Sure, I'll be right back." Amelia told him, then headed out of the room.

"Ace, is everything ok?" Logan asked as he saw Rory step out of the bathroom a few minutes later."

"I just threw up the tacos."

"I'll get you some nausea meds. Let's get you into bed." Logan said as he stepped away from the computer, and took Rory's clothes from her, placing them into the plastic bag, then helped her get settled into the bed. "I'm going to go find the PA running things tonight, so I can get your meds ordered. I'll be right back, ok?" Rory nodded as Logan placed a kiss on her forehead, then headed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Doctor Huntzberger, this is Patrice." Amelia told him as Logan approached the nurses station.

"It's nice to meet you Doctor Huntzberger." Patrice said holding her hand out to greet Logan.

"It's nice to meet you too. I was actually just coming to find you. I need some nausea meds. Rory was previously diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum by Doctor Gellar. She just threw up the tacos she ate before coming here. She woke up at about 2:30 with a racing pulse feeling like something was wrong, begging me to go to my office to get the Doppler I have there. She decided to come with me, so when we got there, I checked her vitals, and her pulse was down slightly from where it had been before we left home, but her blood pressure was very elevated, causing her to be hypertensive."

"How far along is she?"

"24 weeks."

"And she's your wife?"

"She is. Administration allows me to consult on her treatment."

"Doctor Gellar is her doctor?"

"That is correct. I talked to her before coming here. She wants a full work up and monitors, and needs the results emailed to her. I don't mind starting her IV and drawing blood, unless you would rather have someone else do it."

"Are you a physician at this hospital?" Patrice asked.

"I am. I used to work in the ER, but just opened my own partner clinic across town at the Huntzberger Publishing Group."

"You're the one who runs the new employee clinic?"

"I am. I can call downstairs and have whoever is running the shift in the ER to come verify everything for you, if you'd like."

"I wasn't aware that the hospital allowed doctors to treat their family members."

"They don't, but you are allowed to consult. Would you like me to have someone else step in to treat Rory, because I don't mind making a call."

"Is Doctor Gellar on her way?"

"She said that she will be here at 8. Who is the resident on shift right now?"

"That would be Wendy."

"Oh excellent! Why don't we call her in. I helped train Wendy."

"Amelia, why don't you go get the patient's IV started." Patrice said, still looking at Logan.

"Actually, before you do that, I have a favor to ask. I don't want any test results or diagnoses given to my wife. I want everything given to me first, and then I'll share with her what is needed."

"You want to control everything."

"She's my wife."

"She's our patient."

"You don't know her. You have no idea who she is, or what she's been though. You have no idea how stressful of a job she's got, or what she goes through on a daily basis. I don't want my wife stressing out about anything more than she already does. That is my baby that she is carrying. That is my daughter, and any stress that her mother is put through, she is put through as well. So please, let me worry about the medical side of things, and you guys just focus on keeping Rory comfortable, alright?"

"You must be friends with Doctor Gellar. Only she is this controlling." Patrice told him in an accusatory voice.

"I'm worried about my wife and my daughter." Logan said as she crossed his arms over his chest, staring Patrice down.

"So you are friends."

"Doctor Gellar helped train me. We've been friends since college. My wife is her best friend. They've known each other since high school."

"Amelia, call Wendy. Tell her that I have a problem treating this patient, and that I need her to step in."

"I'll let Doctor Gellar know how you feel. But just a heads up . . . You may need to find a new hospital. I'll be sure to let Doctor Schultz know as well. Being the Chief Of Staff, he'll want to know what is going on. Amelia, do you have that IV kit that I asked for?"

"It's right here, Doctor Huntzberger." Amerlia said handing a plastic tub to Logan.

"Thank you. I'll take care of getting my wife's IV started and drawing her blood. Go ahead and have Wendy come see me." Logan told her, then turned and headed back to Rory's room.

"Is everything ok?" Rory asked, seeing Logan's face when he walked back into the room.

"Yeah, it's fine. The PA and I don't see eye to eye on things, so she's refusing to treat you and calling in the resident on shift."

"Sounds like Paris gets to fire someone when she gets here."

"You know it." Logan smiled. "Which arm do you want your IV in?"


	65. Chapter 65

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

It's Independence Day here in the US. Normally, it's a day that I really love, but having two autistic kids that don't do well with crowds and loud noises, plus with the nightmare that is this country right now, I'm happy to just let this day pass, and not even acknowledge its existence. I was raised in a military family, and I've always been a very patriotic person. But this year is just different. There is so much hatred and division in this country these days. I am a firm believer in equality. I have so many friends with all kinds of different heritages. My family may have come over on the Mayflower, but we are all immigrants. No one is better than the other. We all need to love neighbors, just as we love ourselves. Please treat each other kindly and fairly. I don't like to get political, but racism really needs to end. Black lives matter is such an incredibly important movement right now. Living in the south, I see racism happening all around me every single day. While I may not have to deal with much of it myself, I see what is happening to my friends, and my neighbors. I see the little 8 year old boy that was killed at the mall in Birmingham yesterday. I see the violence, and the struggles. This crap isn't right. Please, please do the right thing and be an ally to those around you. Stand up for justice, and for what is right. Register to vote, and vote for change. Vote for peace and love. Vote for kindness. I used to love this country, but lately I'm just sad and ashamed. Black Lives Matter. I love you all!

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy. The covid numbers where I live are spiking like crazy! Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! I am so glad you guys are loving this story! Your kind words mean a lot to me, and help keep me going. Thank you so much!

* * *

**Monday March 6, 2017**

**8:00am**

**Columbia Presbyterian Hospital**

"How long have they been asleep?" Paris asked as she walked into Rory's room with Wendy, to see Rory snuggled up against Logan in the bed.

"A couple hours. I didn't have the heart to wake them. Her stats haven't changed since she arrived, and he isn't hindering the monitors, so we left them alone."

"He knows enough to not be there if he was messing things up. They're one of those freakish couples that are always touching. It's nauseating."

"They're sweet. Doctor Huntzberger seems like a good husband."

"He can be an ass."

"You know him better than I do."

"You realize that I can hear you, right?" Logan asked, opening his eyes to look at Paris.

"You think that I actually care?" Paris asked.

"Are Rory's results in?"

"I have them right here." Paris said walking over, and handing Logan a file folder. "She'll be on bed rest until further notice. Have you talked to Lorelai?"

"Not yet."

"Do you want me to call her?"

"If you want to. We haven't told anyone we're here. I texted my sister to bring computers and phone chargers when she wakes up, but I haven't heard back yet."

"I have a charger in my office that I can bring you if you need it."

"Do you want to keep her here, or can we go home?"

"I'm keeping her for the day, for further testing. You can go home tomorrow."

"So you think it's gestational hypertension."

"It puts her at risk for pre-eclampsia."

"So what's the plan?"

"Right now I'm thinking weekly checkups, home monitoring, and probably an early delivery."

"How early?"

"Two to three weeks depending on how she's doing. We'll discuss it once we get her to 30 weeks. Right now, the goal is to make it another 6 weeks without going into labor. The good news is that even if she did go into labor right now, or if we had to do an emergency delivery, our NICU is equipped to take care of the baby. But the closer we can get to 30 weeks, the better. 35-37 weeks is more ideal. I'll give her a steroid shot at 30 weeks to help develop the baby's lungs. Right now, I am going to put her on blood pressure medication to help keep her numbers low."

"She can work from home, right?"

"As long as you and Doyle can limit the stress, I'll allow it."

"I'll figure it out."

"So tell me Logan, what did you do to Patrice to piss her off?" Paris asked, changing the subject.

"I honestly don't know. She got confrontational with me about treating Rory. She apparently doesn't like me consulting. I told her that I have a deal with administration. She says that I'm controlling like you."

"She called me controlling?" Paris chuckled.

"I told her that she should probably find a new hospital."

"Not in this city she won't."

"Wendy, what did she say to you?"

"She said she refused to treat this patient or deal with the abusive controlling moody husband."

"Is that what she called me?" Logan asked.

"She said that hospital staff aren't allowed to treat family members, shouldn't be allowed consulting privileges, that you should have your license revoked, and that she would be taking this to Doctor Schultz."

"Well isn't she a moody little bundle of joy." Paris said with a roll of her eyes.

"She was a pleasure to deal with at 4am after I haven't slept . . . Wait, did you say that she called me abusive?"

"Abusive, moody and controlling." Wendy confirmed.

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" Logan asked, suddenly getting very upset.

"Moody, I'll agree with." Paris commented. "Controlling . . . You've got your moments. But Abusive is definitely crossing a line!"

"Never in my life have I ever had anyone refer to me as anything even close to abusive! That accusation is beyond outrageous! How dare she! Are you freaking kidding me?! Does that psycho want to see abusive, because I'll show her the definition of abusive if that's what she wants!"

"Alright calm down. Let me handle it." Paris told him. "I've never liked Patrice, and wouldn't want her treating Rory anyway. I'll deal with Doctor Schultz. Should we wake Sleeping Beauty?"

"Do we need to?" Logan asked.

"How long has she been asleep?"

"Just two hours. We went to bed around eleven last night, and she woke me up at 2:30, so she hasn't slept much."

"I'll let her sleep until the pharmacy delivers the meds, but I'll need her awake to take them."

"What about food? Is she able to eat?"

"What would you like me to order her?"

"She was asking for Belgian waffles from Mirabello's."

"Doesn't she have an account there?"

"She does."

"Go back to sleep. I'll call in an order, and I'll call Lorelai. I can run by your house a little later to get anything you need."

"Thanks Paris. I'll have Honor grab us stuff. She's right there."

"She's got an appointment at ten."

"So she should be up by now. I'll call her since she's coming here anyway."

"I'll be back with meds." Paris said as one of the phones started to ring on the table next to the bed, then headed out of the room.

"Thanks Paris." Logan said as he reached for the phone. "Honor, I was just going to call you."

"Hey how is Rory?" Honor asked in greeting to her brother.

"Sleeping, for now. She's got pretty high blood pressure. Paris is keeping us until tomorrow. She says it's gestational hypertension, and wants to run more tests."

"I'm at your house right now. What do you need? I had Josh take Rocky for a walk. He's going into work late today because we have an appointment with Paris at ten."

"Paris just told me that. Thank you guys so much for helping. We really appreciate it."

"No thanks necessary, we are happy to do it. What do you need from me?"

"Just clothes, phone charger, laptops, the necessities."

"Do you need me to call anyone? Have you talked to Lorelai?"

"Paris said she would call her."

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Feel free, if you want to. Rory is on bed rest, and will probably be delivering early. Paris said we will reevaluate at 30 weeks."

"That's good, right?"

"The goal is to make it that far. But even if we have to do an emergency delivery sooner, as of right now, the NICU is equipped to handle that young of a baby. But the further she can go, the better."

"So it's serious then."

"She's at risk for pre-eclampsia."

"That's not good."

"I know."

"Ok, so I'll grab you some things, and be there in about an hour, if that's ok?"

"That would be great. Thank you Honor."

"You are very welcome. I'll bring snacks too. Give Rory my love."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too baby brother. Get some rest." Honor said, then disconnected the call, immediately making another one.

"Yello?" the voice on the other end of the phone answered.

"Hey Lorelai, it's Honor. Has Paris called you this morning?"

"No, is she supposed to?"

"I'm not quite sure. Listen, everything is ok, but I told Logan that I would call you. Rory is in the hospital."

"Again?! What happened?"

"She's been diagnosed with gestational hypertension. She's ok, but Paris is keeping her until tomorrow for further testing, and she's being put on bed rest until further notice. I don't know all the details right now, but I'm heading over there soon."

"Do I need to come up? I can jump in the car right now."

"I feel really bad, you have so much going on at the Inn, I would really hate to pull you away. I'm happy to help out with whatever they need. All I know right now is that Rory is on bed rest with the plan to get her to 30 weeks, and then reevaluate from there. Logan said that Paris told him that the NICU is prepared in case they need to do an emergency delivery, but that they are hoping to get Rory as close to her due date as possible, but will most likely have to do an early delivery."

"Poor Rory. This is all so hard on her."

"I know, I feel terrible. Everything has been so easy for me, and poor Rory is taking hit after hit lately."

"You said you are heading to the hospital?"

"I am. I'm at Rory and Logan's right now, grabbing supplies, then I'm heading over there. I have an appointment with Paris at ten, but I'm going to stay with them for the rest of the day, if they'll let me. I'll update as soon as I have more information."

"Thank you Honor. Please tell Rory that I love her, and that if she wants me to come up, I will."

"Thanks Lorelai, I will. Paris may be calling you soon. She'll have more information than I do. I just thought you might like to get the information from someone a little less intense."

"And a little more sane. Thanks Honor." Lorelai said with a gentle smile. "Give everyone my love."

"I will. I'll call or text you when I know more." Honor told her, then disconnected the call, and went about what she needed to do.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * _**Back at the hospital * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Doctor Schultz, I need to talk to you." Patrice said, walking into the office of the hospital's chief of staff.

"What's going on Patrice?"

"There is a patient in L&D that needs your attention."

"What is the situation?"

"The woman was brought in by her controlling husband at 4am. He told my staff that we aren't allowed to communicate with the patient, and that everything needs to go through him."

"I need more information."

"She is a patient of Doctor Gellar's, and the guy said he had already spoken with her, and was rattling off orders as if he was in charge. He says he's a doctor here."

"Name?"

"Huntzberger."

"Yes, Doctor Huntzberger used to work in our ER. He's been here for the last 5 years. He's a great doctor."

"He's manipulative, controlling, and abusive."

"Patrice, those are some really strong words to be throwing around. I understand that you are upset, but I don't think you should be using those words to describe the situation. Why don't we try to talk this through more calmly."

"That guy walks in and starts barking orders, telling us what needs to be done, and that we have to run everything by him. We aren't even allowed to speak to the patient ourselves because it's his wife, and he get to dictate what information she's given. That is manipulative, controlling abuse."

"Doctor Huntzberger is a respected employee and physician in his hospital. He is liked by everyone, except apparently you. Never in all the time that I've known him, have I ever seen, or heard him being called anything other than knowledgeable, thorough, professional, and easy to get along with."

"Columbia has strict rules about employees treating family and friends."

"Yes, they do. However, doctors are allowed to consult on those cases, along with the attending physician."

"That is a conflict of interest."

"He's not the treating physician, but he is allowed to consult on his wife's care. I've met Mrs. Huntzberger. She is a very nice lady. Very smart, very polite. What did she have to say about the situation."

"I didn't even see her. After the temper tantrum Doctor Huntzberger threw in the hallway, I told the nurses to call Wendy to step in because I refuse to deal with abusive controlling husbands."

"Patrice, you probably shouldn't be using that word. Throwing the abuse accusations around will cause an investigation to be opened, and I'm sure that isn't something that you want to do to a fellow employee of this hospital. I know Doctor Huntzberger pretty well, and I've never witnessed any abuse of any kind. I don't see it being in his nature."

"He told my staff that they aren't allowed to communicate with the patient. What part of that isn't abusive?"

"Patrice, explain to me what he said, exactly how he said it."

"He said that all medical information needs to be given to him, and not the patient. He doesn't want anyone giving her information."

"Why?"

"He wants to control what she knows about the situation."

"Why is his wife in L&D? I don't believe she is due any time soon. I think her due date is sometime over the summer."

"I was told she's hypertensive."

"Which is very dangerous for the baby. I could understand him wanting to not upset her, and cause more stress to the baby. Doctor Huntzberger is very attentive of his wife's needs. I've seen them together on multiple occasions."

"Why are you defending him? That is pure manipulation! The guy is abusive and controlling! The patient has every right to know what is going on with her body!"

"And I'm sure Doctor Huntzberger has every intention of explaining it all to her, in a calmer, more assuring way, as to not worry her so much. He's the type of husband who shoulders all the stress himself, and will do anything it takes to keep his wife happy. I'm sure he's doing what he feels is best for both is wife and baby."

"Hiding information from the patient is abusive, and if you refuse to do anything about it, then I'll have to go over your head to internal affairs."

"So what you are saying is that if I don't start an investigation against one of our best doctors, that you'll have one started behind my back."

"You said it, not me."

"You said that the patient sees Doctor Gellar?"

"That's what I was told. Apparently they're all friends, which means that Doctor Gellar shouldn't be allowed to treat that patient either."

"Let me speak to Doctor Gellar about the situation, and get her side of everything."

"I'm right here Doctor Schultz." Paris said, stepping into the office. "I'm sorry, I just walked in a moment ago, and your door was open, so I hear the last minute or so of the conversation. Opening an investigation against another doctor is not only completely uncalled for, but also unfair."

"So she's eaves dropping, and defending the guilty." Patrice said with a roll of her eyes, as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Patrice, you didn't even lay eyes on the patient. You don't even know Doctor Huntzberger. You met him a whole two seconds before you jumped to your ridiculous conclusions. Doctor Huntzberger is a close friend of mine, who I have known since college, and I've known his wife even longer. If I were you, I would seriously consider zipping your big mouth before you open a huge can of worms that leaves you jobless, and without a single cent to your name. Because I can promise you that if you go up against the Huntzberger family, you will not only loose, but you will end up sued for defamation. Their attorneys will completely decimate you."

"Doctor Gellar, let's not throw out threats here. This is not the place, nor the time." Doctor Schultz commented.

"Do you even know anything about the Huntzberger family? Are you aware of who they are?"

"Do I care?" Patrice asked.

"The Huntzberger family is very rich, very powerful. They own over 300 newspapers in this country, and hundreds more overseas. Have you seen the massive Huntzberger Publishing Group building across town? The building with the new employee clinic in it? They own the building. Doctor Huntzberger's wife is the CEO of that company. If you go up against them, she will completely destroy you! Rory is NOT an enemy that you want to make. And trust me, if Rory somehow finds it in her heart to take pity on you, because that is the type of person that she is, I can promise you that Logan and I won't. Do NOT make accusations against my friends. Against people that you've never met. I understand that you don't like being told what to do. No one does. Let alone me. But Rory Huntzberger is in this hospital with a very high risk pregnancy. She has been sick from the very beginning, and now at only 24 weeks, she is dealing with gestational hypertension, which could easily lead to pre-eclampsia, which is life threatening for both her and the baby. The reason that her husband wants all medical information to go through him, is because his wife is already high risk, and he doesn't want her upset, and putting any stress on their baby. Doctor Huntzberger is a great doctor, and doesn't haven an abusive bone in his body. So for you to be throwing these ridiculous, unfounded accusations around, is completely horrible and uncalled for. Doctor Huntzberger loves his wife. He bends over backwards for her. Trust me when I tell you that she definitely deserves better than him, but in the twelve years that I've known him, and all the years that they've been together, abusive is definitely NOT a word that I would ever use to describe him. Whipped, arrogant, self-centered, pansy, egotistical, frat boy, yes, but definitely NOT ever abusive. He can be a little defensive of his wife, and definitely over protective. He cares more about that woman than he does anything else in this world. Calling him manipulative and abusive is just malicious. If anyone is abusing anything, it's you, abusing your power to hurt innocent people. Doctor Schultz, if I were you, I would terminate your contract with this PA, effective immediately. She is clearly only here to cause trouble. From the second I walked in the door this morning, I've heard nothing but complaints about this woman, and how she spends all of her time bad mouthing patients and other employees, to anyone who will listen. Doctor Huntzberger is a great doctor. One who I trained, and who I trust with my own children. This woman making up ridiculous, unfounded accusations is just despicable and horrifying! And if she is willing to stand here and say all of these horrendous things about Logan, behind his back, just imagine everything that she says about you!" Paris told him.

"Doctor Gellar, how is your patient doing?" Doctor Schultz asked.

"She suffers from hyperemesis gravidarum and gestational hypertension, putting her at risk for pre-eclampsia. Her pregnancy has become high risk, and I will be keeping her for the day for further testing. If we've figured out a good treatment plan, I'll allow her to return home tomorrow, with instructions to remain on bed rest with weekly checkups in my office, unless I decide to go to her, which I very well might just do. Especially if it means her avoiding the stress of ever having to deal with a vengeful Patrice. Patrice, you do realize that throwing these ridiculous accusations around, and purposely initiating a needless and completely unfounded investigation into Doctor Huntzberger, could easily throw his wife into early labor, and possibly cost them both her life and the life of their unborn daughter. Do you REALLY want that kind of nightmare on your conscience? Do you want to be the one to cause a death in their family? Because that is exactly the risk that you are taking right now."

"Doctor Schultz, I'm done here. I won't allow this vicious woman to attack me like this. I suggest you open an abuse investigation into her as well, for the way she treats fellow employees. Everyone in this hospital is completely terrified of her!"

"They may be terrified, but at least they like and respect me." Paris said as Patrice stormed out of the office.

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * 11:00am * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Good Morning Mrs. Huntzberger, how are you feeling?" a woman wearing a suit asked, as she walked into Rory's hospital room, making sure to close the door behind her.

"I'm doing alright, thank you for asking." Rory answered, politely as she set her phone down on the bed next to her. "Is there something that I can help you with?"

"My name is Annie, and I am from the Columbia University Internal Affairs office. I was hoping that we could have a conversation."

"Uh, alright? What is this regarding?"

"There is an investigation going on regarding abuse from one of our doctors in this hospital, and you were named as one of the victims."

"I was? Are you sure you have the right person? I've never been treated badly here by anyone. The entire staff has never been anything but wonderful to me. I wouldn't come here if I thought otherwise. Abuse isn't something that I tolerate. Who is the doctor, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Actually . . . It's your husband."

"What?! My husband?! I'm sorry, but that's not a very funny joke." Rory said, starting to get annoyed. "Really, who's the doctor?"

"The name I was given about an hour ago, is Doctor Logan Huntzberger." Annie repeated.

"Are you serious? Where is he? Someone asked to speak to him a little while ago, but he hasn't come back yet."

"I believe that he is in a meeting with the hospital administration team right now. It's just you and I, Mrs. Huntzberger. Feel free to speak candidly. Everything you say will be kept strictly confidential."

"I'm sorry, but this is completely crazy! Give me just one second." Rory said as she reached for her phone, and quickly dialed a number."

"Collin McCrae." Collin's voice answered.

"Collin, it's Rory. I need you to come to the hospital right now, it's an emergency."

"Rory, what's going on?"

"It's a long story, but some lady is in my room right now from the university internal affairs office, asking a bunch of questions about some abuse investigation on Logan."

"I'm on my way. What room are you in?"

"637. I'm putting you on speaker phone." Rory said, then switched the phone to speaker. "Ma'am, I have my attorney on the phone. I won't be answering any questions without him present. Collin, how quickly can you get here?"

"I am getting in my car right now, I am about fifteen minutes out. Are you ok? Are you safe?"

"I'm not so sure anymore. I thought I was ok. Someone came in a while ago and asked to speak to Logan, and this woman just told me that he is in a meeting with the hospital administration team. I'm all alone in this room, except from this woman."

"Ma'am, do you have ID on you?" Collin asked. "Rory, verify her ID. Make sure she isn't some scam reporter from a random media outlet. Who all knows that you are in the hospital?"

"No one really. Logan and I came in before 4am. Paris has come in a couple times, and I believe my mom was called, and Honor. But that's it other than you. Ma'am, I need to see some identification." Rory said looking up at the lady still standing in front of her, setting her phone down on her chest."

"Rory, hit your call button and ask the nurses to page Paris immediately, and send her a text while you're talking to me."

"My ID is right here." Annie said as she pulled her name badge off of her jacket, handing it to Rory. "And here is your call button."

"Ma'am, you will not be questioning my client without me present. I am on my way, and will be there as quickly as traffic allows." Collin said as he drove through town.

"Can I help you?" a voice asked over the intercom."

"Yes, please page Doctor Gellar for me, 911. It's an emergency. I need her right away." Rory spoke up.

"What can I do for you?" the voice asked. "Is everything ok?"

"I need Doctor Gellar immediately! It's an emergency! I need her in this room, right now!" Rory said strongly.

"I'll page her." the voice said, before the intercom clicked off.

"I'm texting Paris right now." Rory said as she flipped screens on her phone.

"Where did you say Logan is?"

"Apparently he's in a meeting with administration? That's all I've been told. I have no idea. He stepped out about twenty minutes ago."

"Send him a text too asking if he's alright. Let him know that I'm on my way and that he doesn't have to answer any questions without me present. This is completely ridiculous!"

"Right?! That's why I called you! Ma'am, you can go ahead and take a seat, if you'd like to stay. My attorney is on his way. Or you can just come back when he gets here." Rory said, glancing up at the woman in front of her, before returning her attention to her phone. "Collin, I just sent the text to Paris. I'm texting Logan now."

"What is Logan being investigated for?" Collin asked.

"It's a patient abuse investigation." Annie answered as she pulled up a chair next to the bed.

"Patient abuse? Against Logan?"

"Mrs. Huntzberger was named as a victim."

"A victim of abuse by her own husband? Are you freaking kidding me?!" Collin asked, trying to stifle a laugh.

"That would be correct."

"Do you have any evidence? Because I can promise that these accusations are completely unfounded! Logan would never abuse his wife. He is the last person who would ever do something like that!"

"With all due respect Sir, abuse usually stems from the last person the victim would ever expect."

"No, NOT Logan! You obviously don't even know Logan because this is just ridiculous! I've known Logan since we were toddlers, and I've known Rory just as long as Logan has. If Logan was abusing her, I would have known about it twelve years ago, and I would have kicked his ass myself. Trust me when I tell you that there is zero abuse in that relationship, because if there was, Logan would have been in jail years ago, and they would never have gotten married. What kind of sick person would come up with something so ridiculous?!"

"I'm sorry Sir, but this isn't a conversation that we should be having over the phone."

"With all due respect Ma'am, this isn't an investigation that should even be happening! I'll need copies of all of your paperwork as soon as I get there, please. The original complaint, any evidence, and all interviews that have so far been conducted."

"Mrs. Huntzberger was the only named victim."

"Ok, so let me get this straight. There is an abuse investigation into Rory and Logan's relationship, but it wasn't initiated by either Rory or Logan?"

"Yes Sir, that is correct."

"Does this not sound completely ridiculous to you!? How can someone initiate an abuse investigation into a relationship that they have nothing to do with?"

"The alleged abuse was brought to my attention by a medical professional."

"From where?" Collin asked.

"Right here, inside this facility."

"Are you serious right now?! Because I'm pretty positive that it wasn't Paris. I mean, I know her and Logan have had their differences over the years, but I don't see her ever initiating any kind of investigation. If Paris had a problem with Logan, she would kick his ass herself."

"My thoughts exactly!" Rory agreed. "Paris has no problem putting Logan in his place, and telling him exactly what she thinks of him!"

"Ma'am, what exactly is it that this alleged complaint is about because my client hasn't initiated anything of her own free will. If there is any kind of abuse complaint to be initiated, especially against her husband, I would have been the one to file the paperwork, and I can assure you that I've done no such thing. Rory and I have never even discussed it!"

"Collin, I just sent the message to Logan telling him what is going on, and that you are on your way."

"Hopefully Paris should be storming in within the next few minutes. I don't expect her to stand for any of this." Collin told her.

"Sir, I understand why Mrs. Huntzberger would request that you be here, but I really don't think we need to involve Doctor Gellar in this."

"I'm sorry Ma'am, but my client is obviously hospitalized for a reason, and as far as I know, her treating physicians are Doctors Gellar and Huntzberger, unless there are others that I'm not aware of. Rory, is this correct?"

"Yes it is."

"Rory, who is your attending today?"

"Doctor Gellar."

"And do you know why you are there? Is everything ok with the baby?"

"I was told gestational hypertension making the pregnancy high risk. I have very high blood pressure, which I understand to be dangerous for both me and the baby."

"And now there is a bogus investigation into your relationship going on, which is only going to cause your blood pressure to rise, and further endanger both you and the baby. Ma'am, do you REALLY think that this is a good idea right now?! My client is inpatient for a high risk pregnancy, and is having heart problems. Do you REALLY think that it is a good idea to cause her undue stress over something so completely unfounded and utterly ridiculous?!"

"I'm sorry Mrs. Huntzberger, I wasn't aware of your condition."

"Ma'am, why are you investigating my clients? This is completely absurd!" Collin told her. "I hope that you realize that should something happen to either Rory, or the baby, I will hold both you and the brainless idiot who decided to initiate this whole investigation, entirely accountable. We will be seeking some very heft monetary damages for all of the trouble this ridiculous situation causes. I have been working with my clients for years, and Logan has been working in that hospital for the last five years, so we will be seeking harassment, and potential lost wages for significant number of years, should you insist on continuing this ridiculousness."

"Sir, this is a very serious matter. We take medical abuse very seriously here at Columbia."

"My client has not been abused by her husband in any shape or form. I can promise you that! I'll even put my entire law practice on the line. These accusations are ridiculous! Rory, has Logan ever abused you in any way?"

"Not even once." Rory answered.

"Ma'am, Doctor Huntzberger is innocent of all ridiculous charges made against him. My clients are in a very healthy, overly loving and respectful relationship, and there is no one that is being abused, except for maybe me, who's time is being wasted by this ridiculousness. And I am well aware that I keep using that word, but I am just so completely baffled and disgusted by this entire thing, that I honestly can't think of any other, more appropriate word that could possibly even begin to convey my level of disgust and repulsion!"

"Rory, what the hell is going on in here?!" Paris asked, storming in the door, with Honor at her heels.

"Thanks for joining us Paris. I have Collin on the phone. He's on his way." Rory told her.

"Who the hell are you?!" Paris demanded, looking to the woman sitting in front of Rory.

"My name is Annie Eubanks. I am from the Columbia University Internal Affairs office."

"She's investigating Logan abusing me." Rory told her matter of factly.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Paris raged. "Who the fuck does that psycho little bitch think that she is?!"

"Paris, I need you to calm down. I understand that you are angry, and you absolutely have every right to be. I am still about 8 minutes out, but I'm on my way. It is in your best interest to calm down, before you say something that might cost you your job." Collin told her.

"I will NOT calm down!" Paris continued to rage. "This is beyond ridiculous! Rory, where is Logan right now?!"

"I was told that he's in a meeting with hospital administration." Rory said with a cheesy grin on her face.

"Oh, it's going down!" Honor chuckled as she stepped around Paris, and walked over to the bed, taking a seat next to Rory. "Paris looks like she's about to blow!"

"Collin, Paris has steam coming out her ears! Her face is red, and she's PISSED!" Rory told him, watching her friend standing in front of her.

"And there she goes!" Honor said as Paris stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. "You know, part of me really wants to go watch the fireworks, but I think I'll stay here where it's semi safe."

"I know, right?! Those fireworks are going to be spectacular!" Rory agreed, chuckling herself.

"So, what's going on in here?" Honor asked. "Hello, I'm Honor Rothschild." she said holding her hand out toward the other woman.

"Annie." the woman said as she shook Honor's hand.

"So apparently some psycho decided to tell this lady that your brother is abusing me."

"Please tell me that this is all some kind of elaborate joke, because if Paris doesn't kill someone, Logan definitely will!"

"Honor, you need to watch what you say." Collin warned her. "No one is killing anyone. Paris is rightfully pissed, and I can imagine that Logan is fuming right about now too. But there will be no killing happening."

"You're right Collin, I'm very sorry. Verbally ripping into people is the correct terminology, isn't it?"

"That's better."

"Part of me wishes that my dad wasn't dealing with a heart condition and could storm in here right now. Wouldn't you just LOVE to be a fly on the wall for that one?!"

"Have I told you that I love your positivity?" Rory asked

"Can you imagine the fireworks that are coming?! This is going to be such a complete shit show, I am actually pretty excited to watch it!"

"Your brother is about to go full on Mitchum if he hasn't already!" Rory agreed.

"I wish I had some gummy bears. Collin, will you bring us some gummy bears please?" Honor asked.

"If I pass a vending machine that has them when I get there, I would be happy to." Collin chuckled.

"This is such an incredible train wreck, just waiting to happen!"

"I know, right?! I really should be fuming mad right now, but instead I'm just sitting here highly amused. I'm not stressed out at all. Just very very entertained."

"Yes! Most definitely! This really should be an incredibly stressful situation, but it's just not. I mean, we've got Collin on the way to handle everything, Paris is probably storming into their admin meeting to drag my little brother out, and Logan I'm sure is about to rage, if he's not already. This is all just so ridiculous that it's completely amusing! And the resulting lawsuit will be completely epic!"

"Yeah it will!" Rory agreed, high fiving Honor. "It's almost shameful that we are getting so much entertainment out of such a terrible situation."

"It is, but it's also pretty funny. I mean really, who could possibly be stupid enough to accuse my brother of abusing you?!"

"Right?! I mean, have they seen his puppy eyes?!"

"Rory, is the internal affairs lady still there?" Collin asked.

"Yes she is." Rory said with a childish giggle.

"You two are having way too much fun with this!"

"Only because we know that a complete shit storm is about to hit." Honor told him.

"I'm pulling into the parking garage right now. What room did you say that you are in?"

"637." Rory answered.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Honor said, excitedly rubbing her hands together.


	66. Chapter 66

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

So Kanye West just announced that he is running for President . . .

Because we REALLY need to go trading one clown for another . . .

Kanye is a Trump supporter. I'm worried that this is a trick to steal votes away from someone who deserves to lead our country, and knows how to do it, and who will be successful at making things better, turning them around from the complete crap show that it's become. We won't survive another 4 years of hell . . .

Please, for the love of all that is holy, PLEASE, nobody vote for Kanye! Putting a Kardashian in the white house is the absolutely LAST nightmare that we need to deal with right now! I would rather have anybody than the clown that sits there now, but a Kardashian? You have got to be freaking kidding me!

Where is Dwayne Johnson when you need him? What happened to Run The Rock 2020? I'm totally down for that!

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy. The covid numbers where I live are spiking like crazy! Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! I am so glad you guys are loving this story! Your kind words mean a lot to me, and help keep me going. Thank you so much!

* * *

"Ohhh, I hear footsteps!" Honor said, practically bouncing with joy as she sat on the bed next to Rory.

"You two are getting way too much enjoyment out of this." Collin said as he walked through Rory's door, tossing a couple bags of gummy bears on the bed. "There's your gummy bears."

"Why thank you kind Sir!" Rory beamed, looking up at her friend, with a shit eating grin plastered across her face.

"Mind if I sit?"

"Please do." Honor told him, gesturing to a spot at Rory's feet.

"Hi, I'm Collin McCrae from the Law Offices of McCrae and Associates." Collin said as he took a seat and held his business card out to the lady sitting in the chair next to the bed.

"These two ladies here are quite entertaining. I've never had a situation anywhere near this eventful before."

"Oh, you've seen nothing yet!" Collin chuckled looking toward the girls and giving them a wink. "You see, I grew up with Honor and her brother Logan. Rory we've all only known for what, going on 13 years?"

"Something like that." Rory confirmed.

"But Honor and Logan I've known literally my entire life. We were all in diapers together. And if there is one thing that I can assure you, it's that you don't want to be involved when shit goes down. And believe me, it's about to blow!" Collin said as Rory and Honor snickered next to him.

"Shall we get started?" Annie asked.

"Yeah, I'm not sure if we should . . . You see, my other client has yet to arrive." Colin told her, giving her a smile equal to that of the Cheshire cat. "Rory, why don't you go get dressed. Whatever tests Paris needs to run, I'm sure can be run at a different location later on. Honor, why don't you go help her."

"Oh, but I want to see the fireworks." Rory protested.

"Oh trust me, you won't miss a thing if you go quickly."

"There's an IV in my arm."

"I know how to turn the drip off." Honor said as she stood up and moved over to the machine, grabbing the clear tube connected to Rory's arm, and successfully turning the drip off, then disconnecting the tube from the port inserted in Rory's vein. "The perks of helping my brother study for so many years. I picked up quite a few things."

"I'm sorry, but none of you are medical professionals, and you really shouldn't be doing this." Annie protested.

"You know, it's funny that you say that because the two medical professionals that you speak of are about to come storming through that door, rip the IV out of my client's arm, and immediately discharge her without any concern as to what you might have to say. So I suggest that you just sit back, shut your mouth, and enjoy the show!" Collin told her.

"Collin, I love you!" Rory said, placing a kiss on Collin's cheek, then moving across the room to the closet where Logan had stashed her clothes, before following Honor into the bathroom. Once the bathroom door was closed, Collin reached for the call button that was sitting on the bed that Rory had just vacated.

"Can I help you?" a voice asked.

"I need the discharge paperwork for Mrs. Huntzberger please?" Collin asked.

"Mrs. Huntzberger isn't being discharged at this time, Sir."

"Please bring me the discharge paperwork. Doctor Gellar is discharging my client effective immediately!"

"I don't have any orders from Doctor Gellar, Sir."

"Bring me Mrs. Huntzberger's discharge paperwork! I won't ask again. Doctor Gellar will be signing them when she walks through the door." Collin instructed, then heard the intercom click off.

"You realize that those nurses are now calling security, don't you?"

"Wonderful! The more the merrier, don't you agree?"

"Mr. McCrae, I don't appreciate your harsh attitude. I am here to interview Mrs. Huntzberger."

"Not any more you're not." Collin smiled, as his phone buzzed with a text message. "Girls! Fireworks! Hurry up!" he called out over his shoulder.

"Almost done!" Honor called back.

Less than two minutes later, as Rory and Honor were settled back on the bed, Paris' loud voice boomed through the air.

"Give me the discharge paperwork for Lorelai Huntzberger!" Paris barked

"It's right here. Some man in her room demanded it a few minutes ago." a nurse answered as the footsteps in the hall steadily got closer.

"Oh, this is getting good!" Honor said excitedly as she sat with Rory, their arms linked at the elbows.

"Could you two at least try to keep a straight face?" Collin chuckled.

"Oh, but do you really want us to?" Rory asked in a cheerfully innocent voice.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Hi baby! I missed you!" Rory chirped as Logan stormed through the door with Paris, daggers burning through his eyes.

"Logan, get that IV out, you guys are leaving!" Paris ordered. "Collin, thank goodness! You'll deal with this shit show?"

"Yes I will." Collin answered, watching as Logan grabbed supplies, from a drawer, and quickly but gently removed Rory's IV port."

"Honor, go with your brother. He has instructions of what to do." Paris told her.

"Yes Ma'am." Honor answered, holding Rory's coat open so she could slip it on.

"Rory, I need you to sign here. It says that you are being discharged against doctor's orders, but I'll be adding an addendum to this. Just sign your name and write discharged by Doctor Gellar. I've already signed underneath." Paris told her.

"Thank you Paris." Rory smiled as she took the offered pen and signed her name on the line, after slipping into her coat, just as two security guards appeared in the doorway.

"Perfect timing gentlemen!" Paris said looking toward the door. Please escort the Huntzbergers to their vehicle and make sure they exit the premises safely."

"Yes Doctor Gellar." one of the officers answered.

"Not a word." Paris said, pointing at Logan, then pointing toward the door. Logan silently took Rory's hand, and headed toward the door, with Honor right behind them. Paris waited until the trio had left the room, then closed the door, and turned to face Collin and Annie. "You . . ." She started. "Any questions that you have for my patient about this absolutely insanely ridiculous accusation of abuse from her husband, will all be going through her attorney. You, and anyone affiliated with this hospital will NOT be contacting my patient for ANY reason at all. Do you understand me?"

"Doctor Gellar, do you really think that this is necessary?" Annie asked.

"You don't get to speak right now! I asked you a yes or no question. You can nod you answer, but I don't want to hear a single peep out of you." Paris barked, then toward the other person in the room. "Collin, I expect that you will have the lawsuit filed this afternoon."

"I will. Should I expect a call from you?"

"I'll meet you at your office when I'm done here."

"Please bring me all the paperwork in regards to the investigation, as well as Rory's medical records." Collin said as he stood from where he had been sitting on the bed.

"Already taking care of it." Paris told him

"Annie, I'm sure I'll be speaking to you soon enough." Collin said, then walked through the door Paris had just opened for him.

"Now, as for you. Let's take a walk to Doctor Schultz's office. I'll be needing all of the paperwork pertaining to the investigation of my patient and her husband." Paris said as she held the door open. "Bethany, please go through this room, and check to see if anything was left by the Huntzbergers. I'll be back to pick it up as soon as I'm done downstairs." Paris said to a nurse as she passed by.

"Yes Doctor Gellar." Bethany answered, immediately turning and stepping into the room.

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * 12pm ~ Hospital Parking Garage * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Where's Josh?" Logan asked as the trio climbed into Rory's car to leave the hospital.

"He went to work. I left all the stuff you asked me to bring you in the back of the car when we got here to see Paris. Josh and I were going to bring it all to you after the appointment, but then Paris got an emergency page to Rory's room, and we ran down. Josh needed to get to work, so I told him to just go, and that I would get the stuff later on. I was planning to stay with you all day."

"Do you want us to take you home?"

"Where are you guys going?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"What did Paris say to do?"

"She wants us to go home, but I don't feel like it."

"Well, where do you feel like going?"

"I don't know. Part of me was thinking Stars Hollow, but I was thinking Mom and Dad's house may be safer to hide out at."

"I think Mom and Dad's might be a really good idea." Honor agreed.

"Babe, what happened in the meeting?" Rory finally asked.

"I can drive if you need me to." Honor told him.

"I'm just going home for right now. We need to pack. I'm going to text Frank to take us to Hartford in the next hour."

"Logan, I don't mind driving you. I'm happy to help."

"As much as I really don't want to involve him, I need to call Dad. I don't know how to deal with this shit!"

"I'll take care of it. I'll get Dad on a plane. You just worry about you and Rory. I'm going to Mom and Dad's with you. Let me drive." Honor said stepping out of the backseat of the car, and moving to open the driver's door where Logan was sitting. "Get in the back. You aren't in any condition to drive."

"Come on Logan, I'll sit back there with you." Rory said as she got out of the car, and switched to the backseat.

"Damn it! This is fucking bull shit!" Logan said as he switched places with Honor.

"I know it is. But I'm going to help you through it. Dad is doing great out in California with mom, but I'm going to get him home as soon as possible. The good news is that it's only 9am out there. I'm pretty sure that I can have Dad home in time for dinner. I'll take care of everything. Give me your phones. You guys are going into hiding until further notice." Honor said as she held her hand out. Rory immediately handed over her phone, then reached into Logan's pocket to retrieve his phone, handing it over to Honor as well. "When we get to your house, I want you to pack for at least a week. I'll call Frank, and I'll get Dad on a flight. I'll also let Lorelai know that we'll be in Hartford, and I'll arrange with Josh to pick up your things from him, and I'll let Paris and Collin know the plan. You two just need to pack a bag."

"I'll pack. Rory needs to rest."

"Logan, you aren't in any condition to do much of anything. We'll pack together. I can help. I'll be doing plenty of resting once we get out of the city." Rory said as Honor bulled pulled out of the parking garage and headed home.

"Hey Siri, call Isaac." Honor spoke, holding her phone up.

"Calling Isaac." Siri repeated, before a ring was heard on the other end of the line.

"You've got Isaac." a voice was heard a moment later.

"Hi Isaac, it's Honor Huntzberger. I need a pretty big favor."

"Sure Honor, anything for you."

"I need you to send someone over to the rehab center that my parents are at in California, and pick up my Dad. I need him put on a jet to Hartford as soon as possible."

"Just Mitchum?"

"Just him. Mom is fine where she is. We have a family emergency, and we need Dad back home as soon as humanly possible."

"I should be able to have him out within the hour. Give Mitchum a call and have him ready for pick up. I'll text you the details."

"Thank you! I greatly appreciate it."

"Is there anything else that I can help you with?"

"Can you have Frank meet me at Logan's? We need to get to Hartford, immediately."

"I'll take care of it."

"Thank you so much!" Honor said, then ended the call.

"Ok, how come I didn't know that you could do that?" Rory asked

"How did you not know that? Isaac is on the third floor of your office? He runs the travel department."

"Logan always takes care of all of that."

"It's fine, you're still new. There is plenty left for you to learn, young grasshopper. Hey Siri, call Dad." Honor instructed her phone."

"Calling Mitchum Huntzberger." Siri chirped before the phone started ringing.

"Honor, what do I owe the pleasure?" Mitchum asked upon answering.

"I need you to pack your things, you are being picked up and put on a jet home within the hour."

"Honor, what's going on?"

"Logan needs you. Pack your bag."

"Is Logan ok? Is everything alright with Rory and the baby?"

"It's a long story. They're all fine at the moment. We have a crisis that we don't know how to handle, and we need your expertise. Please don't say anything to anybody. Just pack your things and be ready for a car to pick you up."

"Are you with Logan now?"

"I am, they're both with me. You're on speaker. We are heading home to pack bags, and having Frank bring us to your house in Hartford. Please just grab your things and get on the plane. I'll meet you at the airport when you land."

"Alright. Tell Logan that everything will be fine."

"Logan, Dad says everything is going to be fine."

"Thanks Dad." Logan said with a sigh.

"Call me when you're in the car, ok?"

"I will."

"Thanks Dad." Honor said, then disconnected the call. "Hey Siri, text Lorelai."

"Text messaging Lorelai Gilmore. What do you want to say to Lorelai?" Siri asked.

"I have Logan and Rory. Heading to Hartford. All phones in my possession. Details to come soon."

"I have Logan and Rory. Heading to Hartford. All phones in my possession. Details to come soon. Do you want to send this message?"

"Yes."

"Message sent." Siri confirmed.

"Hey Siri, text message Collin."

"Text messaging Collin McCrae? What do you want to say to Collin?"

"Going to the Hartford house with Logan and Rory. Will update later. Have all phones in my possession."

"Going to the Hartford house with Logan and Rory. Will update later. Have all phones in my possession. Do you want to send this message?"

"Yes."

"Message sent."

"Hey Siri, text Paris."

"Text messaging Paris Gellar. What do you want to say to Paris?"

"Going to the Hartford house with Logan and Rory. Have all phones in my possession. Will update later."

"Going to the Hartford house with Logan and Rory. Have all phones in my possession. Will update later. Do you want to send this message?"

"Yes."

"Message sent."

"Hey Siri, call Josh."

"Calling Joshua Rothschild."

"Hey Babe, I'm about to head into a meeting, is everything ok?"

"Not so much. I've got Logan and Rory with me and we are heading home to pack, then going to Mom and Dad's house to hide out."

"For how long? What's going on?"

"Some asshole is accusing Logan of abusing Rory. Things are bad. I don't have all the details yet, but Logan is fuming. He needs to get away for a while. I have a car picking us up."

"I'm coming with you. Let me run and give my Dad a message. I'll meet you at home."

"Honey, you don't have to do that. We'll be ok. I have a car picking my Dad up and taking him to the airport. I'm going to pick him up as soon as he lands."

"And now I know just how serious things REALLY are. I'll be home in a half hour. Drive safe, ok? I love you."

"Love you too." Honor said as Josh disconnected the call.

"Dang, you're good at this stuff!" Rory said as Honor drove through town.

"This is how I get things done. Siri is my unpaid assistant."

"Hey Honor, I have a question."

"What's that?"

"Since when do you cuss?"

"That's how you know she's upset." Logan commented.

"Exactly! It's pretty rare. I am usually much more eloquent. It's probably why Josh is dropping everything to come with us. Maybe I should cancel Frank. Josh is perfectly capable of driving."

"Using the car service is safer. We don't know if that bitch went to the press."

"Well if she did, we have the upper hand, because we own over half of the newspapers in the country. We can kill the story before it even gets printed."

"Text Doyle and have him call you if he hears anything." Rory requested.

"Hey Siri, call Doyle."

"Calling Doyle McMaster."

"Honor, what's going on?" Doyle asked as he answered his phone.

"Hey Doyle, Rory asked me to give you a call."

"How is she doing? Is everything ok? Paris said she went to the hospital in the middle of the night."

"Yeah, about that . . . I'll let Paris fill you on the details, but Rory and Logan both with me right now, and we're heading to my parents' house in Hartford."

"You are? Is everything ok?"

"Actually, that's why I'm calling. We are more or less going into hiding for a while. I need you to keep your eyes and ears out for us. Some psycho at the hospital is accusing Logan of abusing Rory, and managed to get internal affairs to launch an investigation."

"You're kidding me?!"

"I wish!"

"That's completely ridiculous! Clearly, she doesn't know either of them very well."

"Exactly! Logan is worried about her possibly going to the press."

"Oh geez! Not one of those!"

"Exactly! We are heading home right now to pack our bags, then taking a car to the Hartford house. I have my Dad getting on a jet within the hour. We have no idea how to deal with any of this and need his expertise."

"It's that serious, huh?"

"Unfortunately! So I need to you to keep your eyes and ears out for us. If you see anything on the AP wire, or have any media requests or anything come in, we need to know immediately."

"So I need to kill the story before it breaks."

"Exactly!"

"I can do that, it's not a problem. Logan must be furious!"

"You have no idea!"

"What do you want me to do about the clinic?"

"Doctor Greenley was filling in today, ask him if he wouldn't mind helping out until things calm down. If he can't just cancel everything and clear my schedule. I'm basically suspended until the investigation is over." Logan spoke up.

"Did you hear what Logan said?" Honor asked.

"Yeah, I heard him. They actually suspended you over that bullshit?!"

"It's policy. The Chief of Staff says he's on my side, but the hospital has to protect themselves and their patients. I'm accused of abusing a patient. Paris will fill you in."

"Logan, I am so sorry! I'll take care of everything." Doyle told him.

"I have both Rory and Logan's phones, so feel free to call me if you need anything."

"I'll head downstairs to the clinic right now. Thanks for letting me know what's going on."

"Collin is handling everything. He met us at the hospital, so if you need to, you can call him."

"Will do. How is Rory doing? Is the baby ok?"

"Rory is on bed rest. I'm not quite sure what is going to be happening with everything going on because Rory was supposed to stay in the hospital until tomorrow for additional testing, but we pulled her as soon as everything went down."

"Good call! Does Paris know?"

"She was right there for all of it. She's still dealing with the fall out. The fireworks I'm sure are spectacular!"

"She's pretty fired up then."

"I've never seen her so upset."

"That sounds like quite the story. I'm guessing there will be a giant lawsuit to follow."

"Odds are."

"Wow! Well now I'm anxiously awaiting that call." Doyle chuckled.

"I texted her to let her know the plan, but I haven't heard back yet."

"I'll mention it to her when she calls. You guys be safe ok? I'll check in later."

"Thanks Doyle!" Honor said before disconnecting the call. "Alright, is there anyone else that needs to be notified?"

"Not that I can think of." Logan answered.

"You really got suspended?" Rory asked.

"It's hospital policy."

"Is this going to go on your record?"

"I don't know."

"What did the board say?"

"They're shocked. They know us. Doctor Schultz said he tried to shut the whole thing down before it even happened, but that witch went to IA, so now they're forced to investigate. I had no idea that they had sent someone to talk to you, until Paris stormed into the meeting. What did the lady say to you? Did she ask a bunch of questions?"

"I didn't give her the chance. As soon as I found out who she was and why she was there, I called Collin and put him on speaker, then texted Paris and had her paged. Collin and I stalled the best we could until Paris stormed in, and then Honor and I sat there cracking jokes about the fireworks that were about to happen when Paris stormed out to rescue you. We were quite entertaining if I do say so myself. Collin even brought us gummy bears."

"And I'm sure those will be the most expensive gummy bears in the history of the world when they're added to his bill later on."

"No doubt." Honor agreed.

"At least you're ok. That's all I that I care about."

"Yeah, actually, I'm great! The whole thing pretty amusing. I have no idea what is going on other than that some psycho is having you investigated for abusing me. It's actually been entertaining on my part, because I know exactly how ridiculous the entire thing is, and how furious it'll make you, which means that someone is about to die, and the fireworks will be quite epic. I wasn't stressed out about it at all, until you mentioned the possibility of the psycho going to the press. I've honestly been laughing the entire time. But now that I know how this is effecting you, and that you are suspended until everything blows over, now I'm pissed!"

"I at least feel better knowing that you're ok. I was furious knowing that you were being interrogated. I can handle everything else, but I won't let that bitch hurt you."

"Logan, I'm fine. I promise! Collin and Paris are taking care of everything, so we'll be fine. Plus, bringing your Dad on board. Whoever did this is about to regret the day they were born!"

"That's for sure!" Honor agreed as she pulled up to the security gate at the entrance to their neighborhood, and rolled down the window. "Hey Gary!"

"Mrs. Rothschild, aren't you driving the wrong car?"

"I am. Rory and Logan are in the back. We have the car service coming pretty soon, so go ahead and let Frank in when he gets here."

"No problem."

"We are heading out of town for a few days. There may be a media nightmare brewing again. Call me if anyone shows up here, ok?"

"Will do. Have a good trip. We'll keep an eye on your homes."

"Thanks Gary!" Honor said, closing the window as the gate opened.

"You tell Gary your travel plans?" Logan asked.

"Not usually, but I figured I would warn him in case a throng of reporters show up outside the gate, trying to get information."

"I guess that might be helpful. I just let Carlos take care of everything."

"That works too."

"Text Doyle and have him let Carlos know."

"I'll call Carlos myself while we're packing." Honor told him as she drove through the gate, and headed toward their houses at the back of the neighborhood.


	67. Chapter 67

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

So Kanye West just announced that he is running for President . . .

Because we REALLY need to go trading one clown for another . . .

Where is Dwayne Johnson when you need him? What happened to Run The Rock 2020? I'm totally down for that!

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy. The covid numbers where I live are spiking like crazy! Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I absolutely LOVE reading them! I am so glad you guys are loving this story! Your kind words mean a lot to me, and help keep me going. Thank you so much!

* * *

"Logan, what's going on?" Mitchum asked as he walked into the kitchen with Honor behind him, setting his bag down on the counter.

"Dad!" Logan said dropping the spoon he was using to stir the dinner cooking on the stove in front of him, and rushing over to throw his arms around his father. "Thank you for coming!"

"Must be a pretty big problem to get a greeting like this. Are you ok? Do I need to call the lawyers?"

"I honestly don't even know at this point." Logan told him as he stepped back and leaned up against the counter. "Collin is working on it, but I just don't know what to do. I've never dealt with anything so completely ridiculously stupid before!"

"Where is Rory? Is she ok?"

"Rory is upstairs in bed. She's been put on bed rest for gestational hypertension."

"Heart problems. That means there is a problem with the baby, right?"

"Potentially. Right now the baby is ok, but Rory needs to stay in bed and get as much rest as possible. The pregnancy is now high risk, and there is a high chance of developing pre-eclampsia which is life threatening for both her and the baby."

"So this problem you have, did this cause Rory's problems?"

"Well, fortunately and unfortunately, no. Rory woke up at 2:30 this morning from a bad dream, and was completely freaked out, convinced that something was wrong with the baby. She begged me to go to my office to get the fetal heart monitor I had there, and then decided to go with me. Her pulse was racing when she woke up, and barely calmed by the time we got to the office, and when I checked her vitals, she was already hypertensive. I called her doctor who had me take her to the hospital, which is where the real nightmare started."

"Alright . . ."

"Where's Blake?"

"I'm right here." Blake spoke up, as he entered the kitchen.

"Hey, I know your job is to help out my Dad, but you're a nurse, so I was hoping that maybe you wouldn't mind helping me out with my wife while we're here. If it's too much to ask, I can have someone else brought in."

"No, it's perfectly ok. What's going on?"

"Rory has gestational hypertension and is on bed rest."

"When did you last check her vitals?"

"About an hour ago."

"I'll go check on her."

"Thank you Blake."

"No problem Doctor Huntzberger."

"I'll show you the way." Honor told him, stepping past Blake, and leading him through the house.

"So anyway, I get Rory to the hospital, and there was a physician's assistant running the shift in labor and delivery. From the second she met me, the woman decided that she completely hates me. First she didn't like me consulting on Rory's treatment even though the hospital's policy allows me to do so. And then how dare I ask the nurses to please run all of Rory's treatment and diagnosis information by me, and not stress her out with it, because I'm obviously not just her husband, but also a doctor, and my wife has more than enough going on right now and doesn't need extra stress adding to her problems."

"That all sounds perfectly reasonable. You do the exact same thing to me and your mother."

"Exactly! So the PA calls me manipulative and controlling."

"Why?"

"I have no idea, she's crazy! So we get in an argument and she snaps at the nurses to call in the resident who is on shift, and to have her take over because this bitchy PA has decided that she won't treat Rory. Fine! Good, that's one less attitude that I have to deal with. Good riddance!"

"Sounds like you dodged a bullet."

"You would think. So then a few hours later Paris, Rory's doctor, comes in, and I find out from both her and the resident that this bitchy PA is calling me manipulative, controlling and abusive."

"That's ridiculous!"

"Then, to make matters worse, a couple hours later, someone comes into the room asking to speak to me privately, and pulls me out into the hall to tell me that the chief of staff wants to see me. By the time I get down to his office, I find out that the bitchy PA has gone to Internal Affairs and had an investigation started."

"What kind of investigation?"

"Patient abuse."

"To who? Does she have any evidence?"

"To Rory. My wife."

"Anyone else?"

"Just Rory. She is going around telling people that I'm manipulating, and abusively controlling my wife, and forcing the hospital staff to not only allow me to do it, but also to conform and follow suit."

"That's completely ridiculous!"

"And she's using Rory's diagnosis to push her agenda, making it sound like I forced Rory to get pregnant, just so I could further manipulate and abuse her."

"You said you talked to the chief of staff?"

"Oh, I talked to not just him, but the entire hospital board. Most of them are on my side because they know both me and Rory. They worked hand in hand with us for months, to open the clinic. The witch had gone to the chief of staff right after he had come in this morning, and when he tried to calm her down, and keep things quiet, she went over his head to internal affairs. So now I'm not only being investigated for abusing my wife, but I am also suspended from work and from stepping onto the hospital grounds until the investigation is over, and I am found to be innocent."

"And how long is that supposed to take?"

"I have no idea! But to make matters even worse, while I was dealing with the hospital board, and finding out about all of this, someone from IA ambushed Rory in her hospital room."

"You're kidding?!"

"I wish I was. Rory is smart and called Collin as soon as she found out who the lady was and what she wanted, and Collin helped her stall and call Paris for help."

"Paris is Rory's doctor."

"Rory and Honor's OBGYN. She's an old friend of Rory's from high school. We went to college together at Yale, then again at Columbia. You've met her before; Paris Gellar. She married Doyle McMaster who you also met. He ran the Yale Daily News for a while."

"Oh yes, I remember Paris and Doyle. Doyle is Rory's assistant now."

"That's right."

"Paris is a doctor?"

"She helped train me."

"Oh yes, I remember you telling me that. Alright, continue. Rory was ambushed and called Collin for help."

"That's correct. Rory knows better than to answer any questions without a lawyer present, so she called Collin for help. She put Collin on speaker phone so the lady could hear him, and knew that Rory had legal representation on the way. Collin told Rory to have Paris paged immediately, and then helped her stall the woman long enough for Paris to storm into the room and successfully end any interviewing that would be happening. Honor happened to be in an appointment with Paris when all of this happened, so when Paris got the emergency page to Rory's room, she brought Honor in with her. They didn't know that I wasn't there with Rory because I was being questioned at the same time, so Paris left Honor to help Rory, and came storming into the meeting I was in to let me know what was going on."

"That had to piss you off."

"Most definitely! With everything already going on with Rory, being interrogated for something so ridiculous was the straw that broke the camel's back. I went tearing out of there with Paris, and by the time I got upstairs, Collin had arrived and taken control of the situation. He sent Rory and Honor into the bathroom to get Rory changed out of her gown and back into her regular clothes, then snapped at the nurses, demanding discharge paperwork. When Paris and I got to the room, Rory was dressed and sitting on the bed waiting for her IV to be pulled, so she could walk out the door. She was supposed to stay until sometime tomorrow, for further testing, but with everything suddenly going down, there was no way that Paris, Collin and I were allowing that to happen, so we got her the hell out of there. Honor, Rory and I left within two minutes of me walking back into that room, and Collin and Paris dealt with IA and the hospital board from there. Rory and I gave Honor our phones, so she's been dealing with everything all day. Paris told me to take Rory and go home, and that she would contact me later with further instructions. I was of course way too upset to go home. I feel like running, but with Rory's condition, I can't exactly take her and disappear to a remote island in the middle of nowhere, so we came here. This house is basically Fort Knox. I don't know if the psycho PA is stupid enough to go to the press with her nonsense, but I couldn't risk putting Rory in further danger. My reputation is on the line already. I just opened the Huntzberger clinic a month ago, and now I'm in danger of losing it. This obviously jealous, incredibly bitchy woman could completely destroy everything I've ever worked for, and I just don't know what to do! My life is completely falling apart, and I can't control the bombs that keep dropping! My wife needs me. Her life is at risk, and now our entire relationship is under a fucking microscope! I don't know what the hell I ever did to deserve any of this, but I just can't deal with this bull shit right now! I'm losing it Dad! I want to hurt someone! I want to hurt the person who did this to us! I am so mad, and I can't control my anger anymore! Rory and Ayribella are the two most important people in the world to me, and I can't lose them Dad! I can't lose them!" Logan said as tears sprang to his eyes.

"Hey, Logan, it's going to be ok." Mitchum said as he pulled his son into his arms again. "I'm going to take care of this for you. You did the right thing bringing me home, and coming to stay here at the house. You guys are safe here. I turned the company over to Rory, but I can step in for her while you guys hide out."

"I don't think that will be necessary, but we'll see what happens. Doyle has everything under control right now. Honor says that the good news about all of this is that we own a good chunk of the media, so if the nut job PA does go to the press with her nonsense, we can squash her like the piss ant she is, before the story ever gets printed." Logan said as he let go of his father, and leaned back against the counter again.

"That's right, we can. Or we can just destroy the little witch before she gets a chance to go to the media."

"I considered that option, but I really just want to keep this whole thing quiet. Rory has more than enough to deal with right now, and my reputation and business are on the line. I just want this entire thing to go away."

"What about the clinic? You opened the clinic as a partnership with the hospital, but if this all goes south, we could probably sue for breach of contract and give you your own office, separate from the hospital, with them being left with no rights to anything, and having to pay out a large chunk to both you and Rory in damages, as well as millions of dollars in damages for potential earnings."

"We might need to. I was really excited to be partnering with the hospital, but in all honesty, right now, I am just so hurt that it has completely tainted this entire thing. I don't even think that I want the clinic anymore. I love being a doctor, but I'm just done with that hospital. How could they do this to me? How can they let this happen to me? To my wife? After everything that we've done for them lately, how can they put me through this?!"

"I don't know son, but we'll figure this out."

"Gosh damn it! I just want to take this pot off the stove and throw it right through the window over there!"

"You need some expensive scotch."

"The house is dry."

"Like that has ever stopped you."

"I can't drink, my wife is pregnant, and she needs me."

"Let Brad take care of Rory for a while, ok? Brad is a professional, he can handle it. You need a break. You deserve a nice stiff drink."

"I won't drink while my wife is pregnant. It's a deal I made with myself. I won't drink until she does."

"Logan, you need to take a break and get yourself focused and back in the game. I think that a nice stiff drink could really help you right now."

"I don't care. I won't do it. I can't. Rory needs me. I won't abandon her."

"What were you making for dinner?"

"I was going to make spaghetti, but I just can't right now. I can't deal with this shit." Logan sighed as he slid down the front of the cabinets, and collapsed in a puddle on the floor.

"Alright, I'm ordering take out. You go upstairs and lay down with Rory. Send Honor downstairs, and we'll bring you up some dinner when it arrives."

"Dad, I can't ask you to do that. You just spent the last four hours on a plane."

"Logan, go upstairs to your wife. You need to rest too. You've had an incredibly traumatic day. Go lie down, and I'll bring dinner up to you when it gets here."

"Dad . . ." Logan sighed.

"Get yourself up off the floor, and head upstairs. I'm turning this stove off, and ordering take out. Now go!" Mitchum said as he tapped Logan's leg with his foot, and held his arm out to help him get up.

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * Second Floor, Huntzberger Mansion * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Hey Logan." Honor and Blake greeted as Logan slowly walked into the bedroom he had grown up in.

"Hey. How's she doing?"

"Did her doctor give you guys any blood pressure medication?" Blake asked.

"I'm not sure if it was sent over to the pharmacy."

"I'll take care of it." Honor told them as Logan kicked off his shoes, then moved toward the bed.

"Other than hypertension, she seems good. Just exhausted. The baby is moving good too. You look like hell though." Blake said as he turned to face Logan.

"Logan, get in bed. Other than the couple hours you slept at the hospital early this morning, you haven't slept in over 24 hours." Honor told him.

"Doctor Huntzberger, do I need to pull rank on you?" Blake asked him.

"Honor, Dad needs your help." Logan said as he pulled the blankets back on the side of the bed.

"You two rest. We'll be downstairs if you need anything." Honor told him, then headed out of the room.

"I'll call her doctor about medication. You get some rest. I'll check back in about an hour." Blake said as he prepared to follow Honor.

"Thanks Blake." Logan yawned, then climbed into the bed and snuggled up next his sleeping wife, wrapping his arms around her.

"Hey Baby." Rory said softly, relaxing into his strong arms as they heard the bedroom door close and latch.

"My Dad is here."

"He'll fix this. Just try to get relax. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I can't lose you."

"You won't. I'm not going anywhere."

"Dad said I need to drink."

"You can you know. It'll help you relax."

"I won't. You need me more than I need this bullshit numbed."

"Logan . . ."

"We'll talk about it later."

"You know how much I love you, right?" Rory asked, turning her head so she could see his face.

"Yeah." Logan murmured, giving her a gentle smile. "I love you too."

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * Downstairs * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Honor, we are ordering take out." Mitchum said as Honor entered the kitchen.

"I know. I'll take care of it. I know the perfect place."

"Your brother needs scotch."

"He wouldn't drink it, even if the house wasn't dry." Honor told him as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and began typing, before putting it to her ear.

"Luke's!" a voice came through the receiver.

"Hi, I need to order take out for six. I'll come pick it up."

"What name will it be under?"

"Huntzberger."

"Huntzberg . . . Who is this?"

"It's Honor."

"Hey Honor, it's Luke. How's Rory?"

"She's ok at the moment. She's asleep upstairs. You guys can come by if you want to. We're at my parents' house in Hartford."

"Yes, of course. Give me your order and then I'll give you to Lorelai."

"Lorelai is there?"

"Yeah, she's right here having some dinner."

"Oh good! Perfect timing then. I don't really know what to order, I just need food for six. Two need to be healthy for Dad and Rory."

"You need comfort food . . ."

"Yeah, and Dad probably wants a steak."

"We'll bring it by when it's done."

"Do you want a credit card?"

"No, don't worry about it. You're family. You guys have had a tough day. We'll see you soon."

"Thanks Luke. You're amazing!"

"No problem. Here's Lorelai." Luke said as he passed the phone to his wife. "It's Honor."

"Yay!" Lorelai chirped as she put the phone to her ear. "Honor, how are you? What's going on? How are Rory and Logan?"

"Uh, they're ok I guess. Logan is in pretty bad shape."

"Paris filled me in a little bit. I can't believe what happened!"

"I know, we can't either. He's super upset. The last time I saw him this down was when Rory walked away after he proposed."

"Oh wow! I don't even know what to say."

"My Dad just flew in, so he's going to take care of it."

"Your Dad is there? Things must be bad for you guys to call him in."

"Did Paris tell you that he's been suspended from the hospital until the investigation is over?"

"You're kidding?!"

"I wish I was. We need some dinner, there is no food in this house, and I figured if I called Luke, he would know exactly what Rory and Logan need."

"You made the right call. We'll take care of it."

"Hey, if you wouldn't mind, we haven't been able to get Rory's medication yet. Blake is talking to Paris right now."

"Text me the pharmacy information, and I'll pick it up on my way."

"Thank you so much Lorelai. You guys are absolutely amazing!"

"It's the least we can to help. We'll bring supplies, ok? Don't worry about anything. This is why God created parents. Everything is going to be ok."

"Thank you. We'll see you soon." Honor said, then disconnected the call.

"Their food will be ready in about fifteen minutes. Caesar is going to close up tonight, so we can head out." Luke said as he walked out of the kitchen to see Lorelai reaching for her purse.

"That's perfect! I'm going to run to Doose's. I'll be right back."

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * An Hour Later * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Knock Knock . . . The food fairy has arrived." Lorelai's voice said as Logan's bedroom door opened, and the light was turned on. "Sorry to wake you, but you both need to eat, so we thought we would bring the party to you."

"Hey Mom." Rory smiled as she opened her eyes and untangled herself from Logan's arms, pushing herself up to a sitting position.

"Hey Sweetie, how are you feeling?"

"Exhausted. Beat down."

"I'll bet. You guys have had a pretty eventful day."

"Logan, wake up." Rory said reaching over to shake her husband. "Food is here."

"Huh?"

"Food fairy!" Lorelai said in her chipper sing song voice.

"Oh, hey Lorelai." Logan said in a sleepy voice as he opened his eyes and pushed himself up.

"Wow, you do look terrible."

"I'm not sure which is worse, how I look or how I feel."

"Hey, are they awake?" Luke asked as he followed Honor into the room.

"Hey Luke!" Rory smiled.

"We needed food, so I figured calling Luke's would get you the comfort food you needed." Honor told them.

"Mashed potatoes and mac and cheese?" Rory asked.

"With a veggie burger, salad and cherry pie." Luke confirmed.

"Best Dad ever!"

"We've got meat and potatoes for everyone." Lorelai told them as Josh, Blake and Mitchum entered the room, with the younger men carrying chairs.

"I don't think I've ever had this many people in this bedroom." Logan told them.

"We could add twenty more, and still have plenty of room." Lorelai said as she handed him a container of food. "We picked up Rory's medicine on the way here. Apparently Paris grouched at the pharmacy."

"I'm not surprised, it's Paris."

"They gave her a protein supplement and blood pressure medication."

"Your doctor said she would bring me a fetal monitor for the baby in the morning."

"If it's just a Doppler, I have one. It's in my bag." Honor spoke up.

"You have a Doppler?" Logan asked.

"Hello, I'm pregnant too."

"I didn't know that you bought one."

"Eh, Christmas present to myself."

"Well that would have been handy at 2:30 this morning." Rory chimed in as Luke handed her a container of food, and a set of utensils.

"We have four kinds of juice, what would you like? Apple, orange, cran pineapple, or lemonade?" Lorelai asked.

"Lemonade please." Rory answered.

"Same for me." Logan agreed. "I need silverware.

"Everyone, help yourselves." Luke said as he poured the requested drinks.

"I went to Doose's while Luke was cooking, and got you guys some supplies to get you through at least tomorrow morning. There are breakfast foods in the kitchen, and some snacks. I can send lunch over from the Inn if you'd like."

"I want to say it's not necessary, and I can do some grocery shopping, but Sookie's cooking is amazing!" Honor told her.

"Then lunch will be delivered tomorrow." Lorelai agreed.

"If I wasn't on bed rest, I would just come hang out at the Inn." Rory told her.

"I know Sweetie. But it's fine. You are nearby now, so as long as Honor and Mitchum don't mind, I'll come by to visit every day."

"That will be fine." Mitchum agreed as he took a seat with a container of food. "Luke, this looks delicious!"

"Oh, I also brought you some smoothie stuff. Paris told me that you need to eat healthier."

"I eat pretty decent. Logan doesn't let me eat a lot of crap."

"There are donuts downstairs, from Luke's."

"Best Mommy ever!"

"I do my best." Lorelai told her as she sat down on the foot of the bed.

"How are you guys doing with everything?" Luke asked as everyone settled in to eat their dinner.

"I'm being investigated for allegedly abusing my wife." Logan said as he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, that's just stupid!"

"My lawyers will be here in the morning. We'll handle it." Mitchum told them.

"Honey, do you want me to call your Dad? I know you've got your friend who is an attorney, and I'm sure Mitchum has a great team coming, but your Dad can help you guys too. He's got an entire office of lawyers that would be happy to jump in."

"Dad is busy. He's got a lot going on over in Boston."

"Sweetie, he might be busy, but he's still your Dad. He'll drop everything to be there for you."

"I don't want the media getting a hold of this one." Logan told them. "We don't need that kind of nightmare."

"No, definitely not. Especially when Rory is on doctor's orders to stay in bed, so you can't purposely put yourself out there to prove that nothing is wrong.

"You're right. The easiest way to deny marriage trouble is to shove PDA down people's throats." Logan agreed.

"That's a little hard to do when your wife is stuck in bed."

"There are ways around that, but it would throw Lorelai into the spotlight, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't want that." Mitchum commented.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.

"Shoving PDA down people's throats is the easiest way to prove that there are no marriage problems. Rory is stuck in bed, so we can't really shove Rory and Logan making out all over the place, in people's faces. But there are other ways to prove that there aren't any problems. One way is to have Logan seen out in public with Rory's parents, meaning you and Lorelai. Everyone knows that Rory is very close to her family, so having Logan seen out in public a lot with Rory's mother shows that obviously there are no hard feelings there. No animosity. If Logan was abusing your daughter, you wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near my son. You would have him in jail. Or dead."

"The man has a point." Luke agreed.

"So if this whole thing were to hit the media, that is one way to show that everything is categorically untrue. We send Logan out in public to spend an enormous amount of time with Rory's parents."

"But then who is going to stay with Rory."

"Rory can stay with me, or with Honor. Or we can bring in Emily and Richard to help out. There are plenty of ways to deal with this situation. We just have to think outside of the box."

"Dad has been dealing with this kind of stuff for years." Honor chimed in. "He knows all kinds of tricks to flood the prying public with information without really giving them anything at all.

"Well let's just hope that we don't have to deal with any of that. I'm sure that the hospital doesn't want this situation going public. That would be really bad press all around." Lorelai told them.

"Should we call Grandma and Grandpa?" Rory asked. "Maybe they should know what is going on. Just in case."

"It's up to you Honey. I can call them if you want me to."

"I don't know, I mean, should we involve them? Grandpa is on the board at HPG, so potentially, if all of this gets leaked to the media, we would need him involved. But then again, maybe we should just keep things quiet for now. I don't know. I have no idea how to handle all of this.

"Honey, you just need to focus on resting. Let the rest of us deal with all of this, ok? We'll take care of everything. You just focus on resting and growing the little baby inside of you."

"She's right Rory. We'll take care of it." Honor agreed as her phone rang. "Sorry, excuse me everyone. I'll be right back."

* * *

NOTE: Wow, look how productive I've been today! LOL I don't have anything else typed out though, so there won't be any more posts tonight unless I suddenly finish an entire chapter in the next hour and a half.


	68. Chapter 68

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

One of my close friends has Covid. She is seriously sick right now. She got it from her Dad who got it from work. His boss is currently in the ICU.

Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask.

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I have been cracking up reading them lately. Thank you so much! You guys really keep me going. I really look forward to reading every single one of them. I've even responded to a few, so check your messages! :-)

Oh, and for those of you who I know will absolutely LOVE this chapter . . . What can I say except YOU'RE WELCOME! :-P

* * *

"So because Rory called Collin when the IA lady showed up to question her, the hospital is no longer allowed to communicate with you guys, and all communication has to go through your attorneys." Honor said as she walked back into Logan's bedroom, having left to answer her phone.

"That sounds about right." Logan commented.

"Collin has been dealing with utter bull shit all day."

"He's going to raise his rates."

"Oh, I don't doubt it at all. He's had to produce your marriage license and proof of your past relationship."

"You're kidding?!" Rory asked.

"Collin is currently scrolling through 12 years of Facebook posts, from everyone we know, to screenshot proof of your healthy, loving, committed relationship."

"Oh geez!" Lorelai commented. "That poor guy!"

"By the way Lorelai, he said he sent you a friend request that he needs you to approve."

"Seriously?!"

"He's having to submit mountains of proof, in order to flood this stupid investigation with all the evidence in the world that my brother is not abusing his wife."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Rory asked as Honor collapsed on the foot of bed next to Lorelai.

"Hey Logan, did you by any chance put Rory on your lease when you lived together in New Haven?" Honor asked.

"I wasn't even on the lease. Dad owned the apartment."

"Hey Dad, all the stupid shit that Logan pulled in the past, those records are all sealed, right?"

"Sealed and expunged." Mitchum confirmed.

"And the boat incident?"

"Logan was never charged."

"What about Rory's?" Honor asked, looking to Rory.

"That would have just come up eligible for expungement about a year ago, I think? Maybe just now?"

"Hold on, I'm calling Collin." Honor said as she started to get up again.

"Expunged. I took care of that a long time ago. Rory's case was expunged after her community service was completed." Mitchum told them.

"It was?" Rory asked as both her and Lorelai looked over to Mitchum.

"The paperwork is in the safe downstairs. I would have told you at the time, but I didn't want anyone upset at me for interfering. I offered to handle the entire thing, but I was told to butt out. I was planning to eventually tell you, but then you guys broke up, and I honestly forgot all about it. You would have found out eventually had you filed for an expungement when the ten years lapsed. I was just able to take care of it early. It was no big deal."

"Wow!" Lorelai commented.

"Thank you." Rory told him. "I don't even know what to say right now. I had completely forgotten all about that. I mean, it completely makes sense now why I've been able to get the jobs I have, with a felony on my record."

"Because there's no felony on your record. You've been a good influence on my son. It was the least I could do."

"So what do we do now then? Collin is having to go 12 years into the past to prove that our relationship hasn't been abusive. That seems pretty ridiculous." Logan spoke up.

"You would think that I would be the only one able to accuse Logan of abuse."

"It's a 'medical professional' making the accusations. They are legally allowed to do it, without your permission." Mitchum told them.

"But it's a medical professional who has never even laid eyes on Rory."

"Which is to your advantage. However, she's still a medical professional which she obviously knows gives her the right to start an investigation that will have to be proven wrong, without a shadow of a doubt. Which means that if even one person says 'yeah there might have been this one time were one of them said something' it could make things worse."

"How come I can't just go to the hospital board and tell them that Logan has never once abused me, in all the years that I've known him?"

"Because you're the 'victim' and could be in 'danger' and 'coersed' by your abuser." Mitchum told her.

"Seriously?!"

"This is bull shit!" Logan told him.

"I hate to break it to you, but the quickest and easiest way to shut this thing down, is going to be to take it to a judge."

"No! I don't want this going public!"

"I know you don't. We can try our best to keep this entire thing under wraps. I know several judges in the city. We will do everything we can to keep things quiet, but we are going to have to get a court order to shut this woman up. We sue her for harassment, defamation, false reporting of abuse, medical malpractice, prejudice, abuse by someone in a trusted position of authority . . . We throw everything we can at her. And then we go after the hospital as well. We go after them for your job, lost wages, defamation, harassment, allowing abuse and malpractice by a medical professional. We go after them for breach of contract for both your contract with the hospital and for the clinic, and we sue for full rights and access to the clinic practice, severing your contract and connection to them. You will still have your clinic and everything in it, medical records too, but you will no longer have the ties or obligation to the hospital. You get to treat all of the HPG employees but no longer have to treat anyone else. Columbia employees won't be your problem. You will be able to refer your patients anywhere you want, rather than keeping them within the Columbia system."

"This sucks Dad! I like things exactly how they are right now. Well, how they were until 4:00 this morning. I love working at Columbia. I've always loved my job. Columbia has always been great to me. I just want all of this to disappear."

"I know you do son. Unfortunately, even if all of this somehow magically disappeared tomorrow, do you really think that this little mishap won't taint how you feel about your job? How you feel about stepping foot inside that hospital? Every time you walk through those doors, it's going to be on your mind."

"I hate this!"

"I know you do. But the good news is that there are a ton of other hospitals that you can network with. Rory doesn't need to deliver her baby at Columbia. I know that she likes having Paris as a doctor, but she can go elsewhere, or both her and Paris can go elsewhere. Don't you have privileges here in Hartford? Maybe you guys can move down here. You can live here. Or get a different house nearby."

"But we like our house. We are building the addition for my grandparents." Rory said giving Logan a sad look.

"I'm not saying that you need to move. I'm just saying that there are options. Most likely what will happen is this. We file the lawsuit going after everyone, and the hospital immediate settles out of court with the promise of firing the witch that did this in exchange for all of us never saying a word about it again. We can get a nice settlement out of it, but it's not like we need the money, and as long as neither of your reputations are damaged, and the media doesn't get wind of anything and it doesn't touch the business, everything is golden. However, should things go south, we could very well end up owning the hospital."

"There has to be another way to go about this." Logan told him. "Can't we just have them terminate the PA and end the investigation? Dismantle the entire IA office if need be? Just make all of it completely disappear and go back to how things used to be?"

"Things are never that simple." Luke spoke up. "That is basically how I wanted it to be when I had to sue for custody of April. I only wanted to be able to see my daughter who's life I missed out on 12 years of. But I had to sue for custody, dredge up both mine and Anna's past, have character references written, and prove that I was capable of providing for and deserved to have a relationship with my kid. Once the law is involved, everything completely goes to hell."

"Luke is right." Mitchum agreed. "Which is exactly why Collin is having to dig into your past. You are being wrongfully accused of medical and spousal abuse by a medical professional. I want to say that she's basically accusing you of forcing Munchausen's Syndrome on Rory."

"Munchausen's Syndrome?" Rory asked. "Isn't that where you pretend to be sick so you get sympathy from others?"

"I'm not sure if that is the right term . . . I want to say that there is a term for forcing someone to appear to be ill or incapacitated."

"Crap, I know exactly what you mean, but I can't think of the word either. I want to say that I read about a court case where a mother was pretending that her kid was sick or something and she was forcing the illness on the kid. She had the kid in a wheelchair and had told them for years that they were sick and couldn't do certain things like walk, or whatever."

"Exactly! I just can't think of the right word for that."

"That could still be Munchausen's. But maybe Munchausen's by force?" Logan agreed.

"Maybe. But anyway, that could be the defense this woman is using for the investigation. Like your are forcing Rory to be so sick and to have high blood pressure."

"If anything, Logan is forcing me to eat healthy and continuously take the nausea medication, so I'm not sick. Or to relax and let him take care of things so I'm not running around like crazy. He takes my laptop away from me when I'm trying to work, and forces me to sleep." Rory told them.

"But you see, these are all things that no one else sees happening because it is all taking place at home, behind closed doors and not in the public eye. At the hospital, what this woman sees is Logan requesting that all information in regards to your health and care go through him. She claims that the staff is forbidden from speaking to you. Basically that they have to care for you under Logan's orders and not how you actually need to be cared for. You get the treatment that Logan wants you to get and nothing else."

"But that's ridiculous!"

"But that's how this woman is perceiving it."

"Can I say something?" Blake asked. "I know that none of this is my business, but as a medical professional, I may be able to share some insight into the situation."

"Of course Blake. You're basically family now. You've been with us long enough." Logan told him.

"Alright then." Blake said as he stood up from where he sat eating across the room, and walked to stand against the wall near Mitchum. "So I am coming into this situation not knowing the story from the beginning, but this is what I am picking up, so please correct me if I have anything wrong. Basically from what I understand is this . . . You went to the hospital with Rory and a PA who has never seen Rory before is accusing you of abuse because you asked the staff to run Rory's medical diagnosis and treatment by you, so that you could soften the blow to her, rather than upset Rory who is already suffering from gestational hypertension and has a high risk pregnancy."

"That is correct." Logan confirmed.

"This PA has never treated Rory before?"

"Never even laid eyes on Rory at all. She wasn't around when we got there. She has no idea what Rory even looks like. Only knows her name from the chart she pulled."

"Does she know you?"

"Not at all. I had just met her two seconds before she called me manipulative and controlling."

"And she is having you investigated for abuse?"

"Makes zero sense to us either."

"That's abuse of power."

"Yep!" Logan agreed.

"I mean, I've been around you all for the last several months, and I'd like to think that I've gotten to know you pretty well. I don't really spend much time with anyone other than Mitchum, Honor and Josh, but Doctor Huntzberger, I would never accuse you of anything of the sort. Any time I have been around you, you have been nothing other than very professional with me. Very friendly. And with your wife you are always amazingly attentive and gentle with her. Even when you've been upset about something, your entire demeanor changes the second your wife walks into a room. It's like she instantly relaxes you. And when you look at her, or talk about her, you get this goofy love sick puppy look on your face. I've never seen anything like it before, in my life. It's the one thing that I think kind of fascinates me about you, is that you are this professional doctor and you guys run a giant international newspaper publishing company. You guys are basically celebrities, and just the mention of your wife's name turns you into this goofy love sick 12 year old little boy. It's actually kind of comical."

"See, and that's the exact thing that no one else sees." Mitchum explained. "Blake just hit the nail exactly on the head. This woman who is throwing accusations around clearly doesn't know you. She's never even met you before today. All that you asked of the staff was to allow you to help your wife. To allow you to shoulder the weight of her diagnosis and present it to her in a calm, more understandable way, rather than throwing big medical terms at her. You asked them to help you help your wife, and this woman calls it manipulative controlling abuse."

"That is exactly it!" Logan agreed.

"Blake, thank you." Mitchum said looking to his nurse.

"You are very welcome, Sir."

"I hate that I even need to ask you this, but you said everything so eloquently."

"You need a character reference for Doctor Huntzberger."

"Yes."

"I am happy to do it. I'll have it done before I go to bed tonight."

"Thank you Blake." Rory spoke up. "Thank you for always being so great about helping out with things. And for helping with me today."

"It's my pleasure Mrs. Huntzberger."

"I've told you before Blake, you can call us Rory and Logan. It's ok with us."

"I know it is, it's just habit. I'll try to break it. I think it's just the Doctor title. I do my best to use professional titles with those in the medical community. I like to show my respect for their position, and all the time and sacrifices they made to earn that title. With your husband being a doctor, you just get Mrs. Huntzberger by extension."

"You can call him Doctor Logan if that helps you. That's what my friend's kids call him sometimes. They also call him Doctor Uncle, or Uncle Doctor."

"That is adorable!" Blake chuckled.

"So Blake, what do you suggest we do about this whole situation?" Lorelai asked. "From an outsiders perspective, how do you suggest we solve this problem?"

"I honestly don't know. Because the accusations are coming from a medical professional, like Mitchum said before, you have to prove them to be false beyond a shadow of a doubt. If the hospital is investigating, they'll want to talk to other medical professionals within the hospital who have worked with you both in the past, and interview them about their experiences with you, and your relationship and interactions with each other in their presence."

"Well that should be a piece of cake! Everyone at the hospital who knows us, knows exactly the type of relationship that we have." Rory told them.

"But that involves a lot of people. That gives a bunch of nosey nurses information about us and indicates that there is something going on. I don't want anyone knowing that I am being wrongfully investigated. It's demeaning."

"Unfortunately, that is exactly what is going to have to happen. They are going to have to interview other staff members. Even if they keep your name out of it, and only ask if there are any doctors in the hospital, or any staff members who they believe to be abusive to patients, or to their family members, the people who know what is going on are going to start talking, and it's going to get around who is being investigated and why. The rumors are going to start flying, if they haven't started already. You said that the woman publicly called you controlling, manipulative and abusive to the staff in labor and delivery, right? And obviously now the board and internal affairs office have heard it as well."

"I really doubt that anyone is going to believe it though. No one who actually knows me is going to believe anything of the sort."

"But now the doubt has been put in their minds. So they are going to start thinking, is Doctor Huntzberger really the nice man that I know, or could it possibly be an act, and could he really be abusing his wife? Do I really know this man very well? Is he really who he pretends to be while at work?"

"Gosh damn it!" Logan yelled, slamming his fist into the bed next to him.

"Logan . . ." Rory said softly, reaching for his hand that was closest to her."

"I fucking hate this!"

"Honey, calm down. We know that you're upset, and you absolutely have every right to be."

"I just want to break something right now! I feel like throwing this food across the room, and destroying something!"

"And that is exactly how this woman wants you to react. She wants to push you until you break and become exactly the person she has you pegged as being in her twisted little mind. She wants you to fly off the handle and turn into a raging jerk so it makes you look bad, and her looks like the hero that saved your wife from an abusive lunatic." Mitchum told him.

"You know what you should do?" Blake asked. "There are these places called Rage Rooms. It's this big warehouse that you can go to where they have rooms that are basically big cages full of crap and they'll give you a baseball bat, or a sledge hammer or whatever, and you can go there just to destroy things. Beat the crap out of an old car, sledge hammer a TV, throw dishes across the room and shatter them against a wall. You should go there."

"That actually sounds really fun." Logan told him.

"I'll look it up and see if I can find you one nearby."

"Baby, that's a great idea! You can take Josh with you." Rory agreed.

"That does sound really fun." Josh agreed. "I was thinking that a shooting range sounds fun too, but beating the crap of random stuff is totally something that I would want to do in your position. We'll go tonight, if there is one nearby."

"Even for as exhausted as I am, that sounds absolutely amazing!"

"It's not even 8 yet, so you guys still have plenty of time to go." Honor told them.

"It looks like there is one right here in town, about fifteen minutes away. It's on Newberry drive, by the bowling alley. The website says that it's open until 11pm." Blake told them.

"Baby, go put your shoes on. You and Josh go. Have a great time. It'll make you feel better, and help you sleep tonight." Rory told him.

"I don't want to leave you here though."

"Logan, you need to go. I'll be here with her. And dad is here too. Blake, go with the boys. You work really hard taking care of Dad, you deserve to have some fun too."

"I'll stay with Rory too." Lorelai offered. "Luke, why don't you go with them. Go have a boys night."

"I have to work in the morning." Luke told her.

"No you don't, Caesar can open the restaurant. Go have fun with the boys. You deserve it. I'll stay here with Mitchum and the girls."

"Dad, do you want to come? I know this isn't the best thing in the world for your heart, but the exercise might be good for you."

"No thanks, it's been a long day son, and traveling wears me out. I'll just do a little reading and then go to bed."

"Are you feeling ok Mitchum? Maybe I should stay." Blake told them, moving to Mitchum's side and reaching for his wrist to check his pulse.

"Really, I'm completely fine. It does sound like to could be fun to go with you boys, but let's face it, I'm an old man. We go to bed early. I'm usually getting ready to go to bed by this time. I've been up since 6am pacific time. I did Yoga with your mother this morning. I've been on the same schedule that she is. By this time at night, I'm eating dinner, doing another therapy session, then going to bed. I've been asleep by 9pm every night for the last few weeks. You guys go. I'll be fine here. I'll read a book, check in with your mother, and then go to sleep. It will be nice and relaxing. That way Honor will be free to hang with the girls. She can help get me to bed, and then have a slumber party in here with Lorelai and Rory. It will be a nice night for the whole family. Luke and Lorelai can even stay here tonight if they'd like. Whatever you guys want to do, the house is yours. Help yourselves."

"Baby, go put your shoes on." Rory said again, patting Logan's leg.

"Are you sure about this? Because I don't have to go. I am perfectly happy staying right here with you."

"No, Honey, I want you to go. You need to go. Go have some fun. I wish I could go with you."

"Maybe we'll go after the baby is born."

"I would love that." Rory told him.

"Alright. I love you."

"I love you too Baby. Take pictures for me." Rory said giving Logan a kiss, then watching as he climbed out of bed and walked across the room to where he left his shoes.

"Hey Lorelai, would you mind helping me clean everything up while the boys get ready to go?" Honor asked.

"I would be happy to. Rory, do you need anything?" Lorelai asked.

"Just that cherry pie that was mentioned earlier." Rory answered.

"Ice cream or no ice cream?"

"Um, hello!"

"You're right, who am I kidding?! We'll bring it all!" Lorelai said excitedly as she got up and began to collect the food containers from everyone, piling everything into the box it had been brought upstairs in, then following all the extra people out of the room, leaving only Rory and Logan behind.

"Babe, are you sure that you want me to go?" Logan asked.

"Yes. I'm positive! The rage room sounds like exactly what you need right now. You go, and you have an amazing time!"

"You call me the second you need anything, ok? And I'll immediately come back."

"I will. I want you to have the best time. If they have alcohol, get yourself a drink. I know that you said that you weren't going to drink while I'm pregnant, but I want you to. I think you could really use it tonight, and it'll do you some good. You need to let loose. Be the old crazy Logan that I fell in love with so long ago."

"Damn I love you! You are incredible!" Logan said leaning down to kiss his wife.

"I love you too Baby. Have a good time. I'm excited to hear all about it when you get back."

"I'll do my best." Logan said as he kissed her once more, then headed out of the room to meet up with everyone else.

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * Midnight * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Hey baby! How was the rage room?" Rory asked as Logan walked into his childhood bedroom late that night with a huge smile on his face.

"It was amazing! We had so much fun! It was exactly what I needed! I feel so much better!"

"I am so glad! You look better too."

"It was incredible! They handed me a sledge hammer and let me go to town in this room full of crap. I got to beat the hell out of a car, throw glass plates at a wall, bust up an old TV, break some appliances . . . Ace, it was amazing! I almost wish that I could dump a bunch of gasoline on everything, and light it all up. Just for a grand finale."

"Yeah, but that might be taking things a little too far." Rory chuckled.

"It was so much fun though. Thank you for making me go."

"What did Luke think about it?"

"He kept saying that he felt bad for busting things up, but he had a good time. Josh and Blake were monsters! It was hilarious to watch them!" Logan said as he kicked his shoes off and sat down on the bed next to Rory, pulling her into his arms for a kiss.

"And you've been drinking."

"You told me to. Luke drove. He said that's what parents are for."

"I am really glad that you had a good time."

"Me too. I'm a little toasted, but I feel so much better."

"Who else is drunk?"

"Just Josh. We were going drink for drink. Blake and Luke only had one beer, but Josh and Blake made sure I forgot all my problems."

"How many have you had?"

"I don't know, like 6 maybe 8? I have no idea."

"He's only had 4." Josh said stopping in the doorway on his way down the hall. "I think the exhaustion has doubled the alcohol's effect."

"That's kind of funny." Rory giggled.

"Do that again, that was hot." Logan said placing a kiss on Rory's shoulder.

"I'm going to bed. Blake said he would be up in a few minutes to check on you. Luke and your mom are getting ready to head out. Good luck with that one!" Josh said pointing toward Logan.

"Thanks Josh. Thank you for taking him out and making sure he had a good time. I really appreciate it."

"It was no problem. We had a lot of fun. We'll definitely have to do it again sometime."

"Yes!" Logan agreed. "Let's do it again tomorrow!"

"We'll see." Rory told him.

"Call me if you need help." Josh chuckled as he walked away.

"Good night Josh. Hey kid, we're heading out. Do you need anything?" Lorelai asked as she walked into the room with Luke behind her.

"No I think we're good. Thank you guys for coming tonight and for bringing food. And Luke, thank you for going with Logan and the guys, and making sure they got home safe."

"No thanks necessary. I had a great time. He's a little toasted though."

"But I'm happy!" Logan said excitedly.

"We can see that." Lorelai laughed. "Sweetie, do you need anything? Gatorade, water, maybe some aspirin for the hangover?"

"Got some." Logan told them, holding up the two bottles of water that he had brought upstairs with him.

"What about aspirin?"

"It's in the drawer, right there next to Rory."

"I'll call you if anything comes up." Rory answered.

"I love you Honey. I'll see you tomorrow." Lorelai said walking over to give Rory a hug.

"Thanks Mom. I love you."

"Have a good night love you guys." Luke told them as he followed Lorelai out of the room.

"Love you. Thanks for everything!" Rory called behind him. "Babe, you need to go brush your teeth. The beer smell is getting to me. Why don't you go get ready for bed."

"You know that you are married to a sap, right?" Blake asked as he walked into the room with his medical bag.

"But at least he's a happy drunk, right?"

"All he could talk about was how great you are, and how in love with you he is."

"It can definitely be a little nauseating." Rory agreed.

"Hey, you like me when I'm sappy!" Logan protested.

"Go brush your teeth." Rory told him, trying to push Logan away as he kissed her shoulder again.

"It was cute, but I can definitely agree that it would get nauseating after a while."

"You're lucky you didn't get to see angry drunk Logan. Because that Logan isn't so fun."

"He was angry before the alcohol, but then smashing things up changed all that. It was pretty fun to watch."

"I can imagine. Baby, please, go brush." Rory said, still trying to push Logan away.

"Hey, you, up!" Honor said as she walked into the room, pointing directly at her brother. "Get your butt in the bathroom and brush those teeth. You smell like a brewery. Blake do you need any help?"

"No, I've got it. Unless you want to learn."

"I can do that."

"Rory, when did you last take your blood pressure medicine?" Blake asked.

"She took it with pie right after you guys left." Honor told him.

"So we'll make sure that you get it at breakfast then. Your doctor should be here at about that time."

"Paris is coming?"

"She is bringing me some equipment to help monitor you."

"Did you guys check to see if I have what she needs?" Logan asked.

"You don't. It's not anything that you would have. It's special fetal monitors and a heart monitor."

"Yeah I definitely don't have those."

"Logan, bathroom." Honor told him again.

"I will. I might be a little bit tipsy, but I can still help with my wife. I'm coherent enough to get her vitals."

"Doctor Huntzberger, it's fine. I can take care of it. You've had a long day. Go ahead and go get cleaned up for bed."

"Baby, I'm fine. Go get cleaned up." Rory told him as Blake put an oxygen monitor on her finger, then reached for her arm to check her blood pressure.

Five minutes later Logan walked out of the bathroom dressed in only pajama pants to see the room empty except for Rory who was reading a book in bed.

"Did they finish with you?" he asked as he set his watch down on the dresser, and finished off the bottle of water he had been drinking.

"Yeah, Blake said that my blood pressure is still elevated but it's gone down from where it was earlier. Everything else he said looked normal." Rory answered, finishing the sentence she was reading. "Damn!"

"What's wrong?"

"Maybe it's the crazy blood pressure or medicine affecting my vision, but your muscles look HUGE tonight!"

"Beating the crap out of all that junk at the rage room was kind of a work out."

"Baby, have you looked at yourself in the mirror? Look how huge your chest looks!"

"Is that a problem?"

"No, I'm not complaining at all. I will gladly sit here and stare at you. Just damn!"

"Really? You're just going to sit there and stare?"

"Maybe drool a little bit."

"You're ridiculous." Logan smiled. "Did Honor give you back your phone?"

"Yeah, it's been a quiet night. A ton of emails came in today, but I haven't checked any of them. I've been ignoring work."

"If there was anything urgent, Doyle would have called."

"Are you going to come to bed, or are you just going to keep standing there?"

"I figured I would let you keep drooling for a while since you enjoy it so much. Do you need to change or use the bathroom or anything?"

"No, I took care of all that while you were gone. I showered and everything."

"Without me?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you cared."

"No it's not like it's a big deal, I just don't remember the last time either of us showered alone."

"Are you upset?"

"No, of course not. Maybe a little bummed that I missed it though."

"Now who's being ridiculous?"

"What are your talking about? I enjoy helping you shower."

"Yes, I know you do. A little bit too much. Come to bed Logan. We have a long day of drama ahead of us tomorrow."

"Booo! I don't wanna!"

"I know, I don't really want to either. But it's inevitable. Now come on Mister Muscles. Come to bed." Rory said holding her arms out.

"You just want to poke at me." Logan laughed. You forget that I know you. You'll take those sharp claws of yours and poke at my muscles."

"No I won't!"

"Yes you will. You do it all the time! You're obsessed!"

"I am not!"

"Yes you are. You'll poke at them, and tell me how hard they are."

"Well, is it my fault that they're in my face, and that they're kind of hot?"

"Just kind of?"

"Really Logan? Really? And you say that I'm the one who's obsessed!"

"You know that I only keep this working out stuff up, because you enjoy it so much."

"And you don't?"

"Eh, it's healthy."

"And you enjoy women fawning all over you." Rory told him as he walked across the room toward her.

"No one fawns all over me."

"I'm calling bull shit right there! You know for a fact, that's not even close to being true! You see the way women look at you."

"You know, there is a reason why I don't ever walk around with my shirt off, except for in the bedroom."

"Well I know that it's not because you don't like being looked at, because that's just a load of crap." Rory told him as Logan climbed into bed next to her.

"No, it's because the only person who I want looking at me like they're about to eat me alive, is the person right in front of me." Logan said as he reached to take Rory's face in his hands, and pressed a firm kiss to her lips. "This show is only for you Babe."

* * *

Note:

Well, anyway let me say you're welcome

For the wonderful world you know  
Hey, it's okay, it's okay  
You're welcome!


	69. Chapter 69

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

So my friend with Covid, her boyfriend and his mom both just tested positive as well. It's spreading bad you guys! And now they're saying that new evidence is showing that it is airborne. This is so scary serious! Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask.

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I have been cracking up reading them lately. Thank you so much! You guys really keep me going. I really look forward to reading every single one of them. I've even responded to a few, so check your messages! But I have to say that I am almost disappointed that I didn't get a single topless Logan comment from any of you. I thought for sure certain people would be drooling. I mean really, I did that just for all of you. Because you all know exactly how HOT Matt Czuchry is! =-D

* * *

"Dayum! Someone is sure popping out of their shirt this morning." Honor said as Logan walked into the kitchen wearing a tight t-shirt and basketball shorts. "And that someone sure ain't my baby belly!"

"Haha!" Logan said kissing her on the cheek, then heading to the fridge and pulling out a carton of orange juice.

"You had better use a cup for that!"

"Yes mother."

"Dayum dude! If my wife wasn't your sister, I would tell you to go put some clothes on!" Josh said a minute later as he joined the siblings in the kitchen for some breakfast.

"Hey Honey! Pancakes will be ready in a minute." Honor told them.

"Does your wife know that you're dressed like that?"

"My wife is the one who gave me the shirt."

"Gave it to you when? Back in high school?"

"Oh, you're a funny one! So very funny!"

"Who's funny?" Rory asked as she joined the trio.

"They're making fun of me for wearing this shirt that YOU insisted on this morning."

"You guys don't like it?"

"He's practically wearing a bra." Josh commented.

"But he's HOT!"

"Which is the entire problem! Nobody should look that good! I stand by my previous comment; if my wife wasn't your sister, I would tell you to go put some clothes on."

"Shut up Josh! I think he looks sexy as hell." Rory said, wrapping her arms around her husband, and giving him a kiss.

"And I think I'm about to lose my appetite." Honor spoke up.

"What are you doing out of bed? I thought you were on bed rest?" Josh asked.

"I am. But I'm bored and needed to get out of that room for a while. The walls start to close in on you after a while."

"I let her come down for breakfast, but she's supposed to be on the couch with her feet up." Logan told her.

"That living room is way too fancy. I feel bad putting my feet up in there. I feel like I'm going to get yelled at or something.

"Go sit down at the table. Logan, get her an extra chair." Honor told him. "Paris and Collin should be here pretty soon. Dad's lawyers are on their way too."

"Where is Dad?" Logan asked.

"He's in the gym with Blake."

"I guess I'm not getting a work out in this morning."

"I'd say that you got a pretty good work out in last night." Josh snickered.

"You think that you're so funny this morning Joshey boy!" Logan said sarcastically in a childish voice. "But no! For your information, there are certain things that you don't get to enjoy when your wife suffers from a high risk pregnancy."

"Ew ew ew ew ew my ears! Please shut up!" Honor begged, throwing her hands up over her ears. "There are certain things that I never want to hear coming out of my baby brother's mouth! The only love life that I should ever know anything about, is my own!"

"Yeah, ok, that is totally not what I meant at all." Josh laughed.

"Josh! Shut up!" Honor scolded him.

"I meant when you beat the crap out of all that junk last night."

"Yeah, that was pretty fun." Logan agreed as he helped Rory get settled.

"Hey, I heard that you and Blake were quite the animals with the sledge hammer." Rory commented.

"Maybe, but Logan was beating the hell out of way more stuff than we were."

"Please tell me that there are pictures?"

"Pictures? Please, pictures are for amateurs! We have video!" Josh told her with a beaming smile.

"Really? Can I see?"

"Are you sure that you want to?"

"Please, I've dealt with angry drunk Logan before."

"But this is angry SOBER Logan."

"Which means that it's way more entertaining!" Rory told him.

"Alright, but don't say that I didn't warn you." Josh said as he pulled up the video, and handed his phone to Rory.

"Dang baby! Look at you go!"

"Rory, would you like some pancakes?" Honor asked.

"Yes please!"

"Would you like fruit on them?"

"That would be great! And whipped cream if you have it."

"I actually do. I got up really early and ran to the store. Your mom left donuts and muffins last night, but pancakes sounded good to me this morning."

"Are there still donuts?"

"You want chocolate?"

"Yes please!"

"Logan, they're on the island." Honor told him.

"That shirt needs to go." Josh told him.

"Oh come on Josh. Don't be jealous."

"Yeah Josh, you heard your wife. Don't be a hater!" Logan agreed.

"Dude, that's your sister!"

"And my sister appreciates all the hard work I put in."

"I don't know if I would use the word appreciates, but I've definitely seen your dedication to it." Honor told him.

"It's ok to be jealous Josh. Not everyone can look this good."

"Dayum! I wish I looked like that after working out!" Blake said as he joined everyone in the kitchen. "Dude, this is just unfair! What is your secret?!"

"See Josh! At least SOMEONE appreciates my efforts!"

"Hey! I'm sitting right here!" Rory spoke up.

"Doctor Huntzberger, I knew that you were in good shape man, but I had no idea that you were so built!"

"Because I never wear anything like this. But SOMEONE found this shirt hanging in the closet upstairs, and made me put it on." Logan told them.

"Hey, we're away from home. There is no need to dress so nice. We're relaxing while we're here, remember?" Rory told him. "Plus, I like the way you look!"

"Josh is jealous." Honor commented. "No matter how hard he works out, he's never bulked up."

"I'm with you there Josh. I wish I was that lucky! If you went to the beach or a public pool, girls would be throwing themselves at you!" Blake told them.

"Who says they don't already?" Rory chirped.

"Yeah well, I can't say that I even blame them! You're a lucky man!"

"Eh! There's only ever been one girl that matters, and she's right here." Logan said as he handed Rory a donut, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Yeah, you two are definitely starting to get a little nauseating." Blake chuckled.

"How did Dad's workout go?" Honor asked.

"He did really well. He's getting stronger every day. I got him on the treadmill and on the bike, and he even lifted some light weights. That is a really great gym that you've got down there."

"That is all Logan. Dad had it built for him and his friends."

"They're all jealous that they don't look like me too." Logan told them as the doorbell rang.

"Logan, will you go grab that please?" Honor asked as she set a plate of pancakes with fruit on it in front of Rory, then handed her a can of whipped cream.

"Thank you! You are my favorite person right now!" Rory told her.

"You are very welcome! Logan, go answer the door while I get yours ready. We don't have any staff right now."

"Fine." Logan agreed as he got up from where he had just sat down, and headed out of the kitchen.

"Dude! It took you long enough!" Collin said when the door finally opened to reveal his best friend.

"'Ello Mate! What the hell are you wearing?! Did you steal your wife's clothes again!?"

"Funny!" Logan said as he stepped aside to allow his friends to enter the house. "Everyone is in the kitchen."

"Really Huntzberger, did you forget to pack clothes or something?" Collin asked.

"You two are hilarious! You damn well know why I'm wearing this."

"Yeah, because whaapisssh!" Finn said, making a whipping noise and motion.

"Shut it jealous one!"

"Is there food? Because I'm actually quite hungry after our early adventures this morning."

"Collin, why did you bring Finn with you?"

"You thought that I was going to drive three hours by myself, in rush hour traffic, leaving New York?! Have you lost your mind!?"

"Why couldn't you bring Stephanie with you?"

"She's working today, and Valerie doesn't like long car rides."

"Hello Darling!" Finn said as the boys entered the kitchen.

"Finn!" Rory cheered seeing her friend across the room as he pecked Honor on the cheek, then headed in her direction.

"Hello Love! And Little Love!" Finn said as he gave Rory a hug, then rubbed her stomach.

"Finn, I've missed you!"

"I am very glad to see that someone here has because someone else was quite rudely questioning my presence."

"How dare he!"

"Well someone quite rudely accused me of wearing your clothes." Logan told her.

"But he looks so hot like that, doesn't he?!" Rory said with a smile, winking at her husband.

"Well I definitely wouldn't kick him out of bed, that's for damn sure!"

"Collin, Finn, are you guys hungry?" Honor asked.

"Only if you have enough to go around." Collin answered.

"There's plenty. Come help yourselves. And there are donuts too. Josh, Honey, here's your plate." Honor said holding out a plate for Josh. "Logan, how many do you want?"

"Just two for now." Logan answered.

"Finn, check this out. Logan went to this rage room place last night, with Josh and Blake."

"Uh Babe, should you really be showing that to Finn?" Logan asked.

"He'll be fine! I'm sure even Finn isn't dumb enough to do this stuff outside of a protected area." Rory said, waving him off."

"Is that a sledge hammer?" Finn asked.

"Yeah! So they gave him a sledge hammer, and he was allowed destroy everything in sight! How cool is this?!" Rory asked, showing Finn the video she had been watching on Josh's phone.

"Dude, look at him go! I've never seen anything like this! Collin, come check this out! This is incredible! We must go here! Where is this place?!"

"It's right here in town, about fifteen minutes away." Logan told them.

"Uh, guys, if this hasn't been posted to social media yet, can we please keep it that way? And if it has been posted, let's get it down. Like NOW!" Collin told them.

"I haven't posted anything." Josh told him. "I don't even have a Facebook account, so no worries."

"You don't have a Facebook account?" Finn asked. "What kind of alien life form are you?"

"Josh is just cooler than the rest of us sheep." Honor told them. "He has better things to do than to waste his time online."

"I can't even remember the last time that I was on Facebook." Logan spoke up. "I only rarely get on there."

"I don't really get on either, unless someone tells me to check something out." Rory agreed. "Doyle usually posts things for me."

"Well I submitted a bunch of screenshots of old pictures and Facebook posts from college, to the hospital board this morning. I blacked out other people's names and faces, but it's really not too hard for them to find on their own, if they were to go looking."

"What stuff did you submit?" Logan asked.

"I sent you an e-mail this morning. Have you not seen it yet?"

"I haven't even touched my phone since last night, and I haven't checked any email in the last 36 hours." Logan told him.

"Give me a minute, and I'll pull it up. But you should probably think about checking your phone and e-mail every once in a while."

"Why? You and Doyle both know how to get a hold of me if you need me, and Rory is right here with me. I have no reason to need it. Anybody who needs to talk to me, knows exactly where I am and has several different ways to reach me. If anything urgent comes up, I figured you and Doyle would just call Honor."

"The man has a point!" Honor agreed.

"So Doyle is checking your e-mail then?" Collin asked.

"Both mine and Rory's. We're hiding out, and Rory has decided that since we are away from home, there is absolutely no reason why we should have to dress nicely at all. So while we're here, we are going to enjoy ourselves and wear lounge wear the entire time."

"Rory just wants to wear pajamas all day, doesn't she?!"

"Stephanie does this too?"

"All the time!" Collin told him.

"Wow, party in my kitchen! Hello Gentlemen!" Mitchum upon entering the kitchen. "Long time, no see!"

"Mitchum, Hello Sir. How are you doing? You look great!" Collin told him.

"Why thank you Collin. I am doing very well. How is business going? Are you staying busy?"

"Never better. Just took the day to come down here, and help you guys out with your little problem."

"And I see that you brought Finneous down for the ride. How are you Finn?"

"I'm good Sir, and you?" Finn asked.

"I'm doing very well."

"Daddy, would you like some pancakes?" Honor asked, holding a plate out in his direction.

"Pancakes sound great! Thank you my dear! Logan, what in the world are you wearing?!"

"Oh geez, not you too!"

"Well at least you have the body to pull it off. You know, I had a body like that once. About forty or so years ago."

"Were you as ripped as your son Mr. Huntzberger?" Blake asked.

"Oh no. I was never in as great shape as Logan is. Logan puts a lot of work into looking like that. I was never that dedicated. I was a runner. I ran a 4 minute mile back in college."

"Wow! That's incredible!"

"Looking like Logan is way too much work for me. I gave all of that up a very long time ago."

"Logan, do you ever run?" Blake asked.

"I do sometimes. I'll take my dog out and run through Central Park, or around the neighborhood. I don't get as much time for it as I used to. Actually, speaking of my dog, where is Rocky?" Logan asked.

"He's outside." Honor told him. "I turned the heater on out there for him. Do you want me to let him back in?"

"Yeah, he probably needs to eat." Logan said as he got up and headed for the back door. "Rocky! Rocky come here! Are you hungry? Come on, let's go eat!"

"Rocky! Buddy!" Finn said excitedly as Rocky walked in the door, and hurried right over to him.

"Finn, he needs to eat. You can play with him when he's done."

"Oh, but Rocky loves me, don't you Rocko?! You and I are good friends, aren't we?! Yes we are! You and Uncle Finn are best friends!" Finn said as he hugged the dog, causing Rocky to lick his face.

"Logan, you know that your mother would completely freak out seeing your dog in the house."

"Please Dad, Mom grew up on a farm. Mom probably had cows in her house as a kid. The only person in this family who would actually freak out over having a dog in the house, is Grandpa, and he's dead! In fact, maybe we should get Mom a puppy. It'll give her something to do when she comes home. We can get her a golden retriever. They're pretty, snuggly, and good dogs for taking on walks. Heck, maybe we should get you guys a Pitbull and a Doberman too. You can have the huge house with the super mean dogs that everyone is completely afraid of. It'll complete the rich person stereotype."

"Babe, let get your mom a Cocker Spaniel like in Lady and the Tramp. They are gorgeous dogs!" Rory piped up.

"We can do that. Heck, we can get Mom ten dogs!"

"Logan, don't be ridiculous. Your mother does not need ten dogs."

"But I'm definitely getting her at least one. Maybe two."

"That's fine Son. She'll probably love that. That is very nice of you."

"Hey babe, can I have a dog too?" Rory asked.

"Whatever dog you want as long as it's not an ankle biter."

"What's wrong with ankle biters?" Finn asked.

"They bite! Rocky, come get your food!" Logan said as he set a bowl of food down in the corner next to the fridge.

"Honor, Honey, you should sit down and eat some breakfast too." Mitchum said as Honor flipped more pancakes at the stove.

"I actually already ate. I had the first pancakes that were made."

"So you're just cooking for everyone else now?" Logan asked.

"Well, you all need to eat too. And I really don't mind. It gives me something to do."

"Logan, why don't you call the maid service. Have them send us some help today." Mitchum suggested.

"Daddy, we really don't need it. I am perfectly happy to do things myself. Maybe we can get someone to come once a week, but we definitely don't need anyone here all day every day. We're all adults. We are perfectly capable of cleaning up after ourselves."

"Honor is right. After everything that's happened lately, we don't need a full staff of people. We've been entirely too spoiled in this house, and it's been pretty ridiculous. Collin doesn't have a staff at all at his house."

"You don't?" Mitchum asked.

"Stephanie says that we don't need it. She makes me do the dishes and help clean the bathrooms." Collin answered.

"See Daddy? If Collin and Stephanie can raise their kid without a full staff of people, we can do it too. Logan and I both only have Rosalinda coming a couple days a week to help out with the deep cleaning because we are so busy. And I only have Frederico coming to cook when both you and Mom are at my house. We haven't needed anything else."

"I guess maybe we can try it."

"Daddy, we really don't need it. You'll see. Mom knows how to cook and clean, and we can teach you how to do laundry. It'll be just you and Mom living here, so you really won't have much that needs to be done." Honor told him as the doorbell rang again. "I'll go get it, you guys eat."

"Thanks Honor." Logan said as Honor turned off the stove, and left the kitchen.

"Attie Honor!" squeals were heard a minutes later.

"Paris brought her kids?" Collin asked.

"I guess so."

"It'll be fine." Rory told them. "Those kids are incredibly well behaved. You won't even notice that they're here."

"And Dad should probably get used to having two kids terrorizing this place. It'll do him some good." Logan added.

"Unca Ogan!" The kids cheered as they ran into the kitchen, launching themselves at Logan.

"Hey Munchkins! I've missed you guys!" Logan said as he hugged the twins.

"Attie Ory! We got you pesents!" Catherine said holding out a gift bag to Rory.

"You got me presents? You guys are just the sweetest!" Rory said holding her arms out toward the twins.

"Hey, remember, you need to be gentle with Auntie Rory." Paris reminded the kids as she followed Honor into the kitchen. "Good morning everyone!"

"Good Morning! It's nice of you to join us." Mitchum told her.

"Mitchum, you look well. How is retirement treating you?"

"So far so good. Nice and relaxing."

"Paris, you remember Dad's nurse Blake, right?" Honor asked.

"I do. It's nice to see you again Blake. Thank you for taking care of Rory for me."

"Thanks for coming Doctor Gellar. Your patient is doing well this morning."

"I see that. Logan, did you check her stats this morning?"

"I did. Her blood pressure has continued to decline. It is almost back to the normal range."

"Excellent! The medication is doing its job then. I have a heart monitor to hook her up to. It has its own WiFi connection, and will send me Rory's information every hour unless there is an episode where her numbers suddenly go up, and then it will send an emergency alert to my phone."

"What about sending one to me?" Logan asked.

"Yes control freak, I have it set to alert both of us."

"Control freak? Really Paris? You are enjoying this investigation way too much!"

"Eh, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?"

"You suck!"

"You know, I would have a really good comeback for that one, but there are children in the room, and I would really rather not have my kids repeating certain things, so I am just going to let that one go."

"Eh! Finn is here. I'm sure they'll hear a lot worse." Rory told her.

"Finn, if you corrupt my children, your balls will be hanging on my office wall by the end of the day!" Paris threatened.

"Don't cross her Finn, you know that she'll do it!" Collin reminded him.

"Catherine, Bradley, did you say hi to Poppa Mitchum?" Paris asked the children.

"Hi Poppa!" the kids said in unison as Catherine set Rory's present down on the floor, and ran to give Mitchum a hug.

"Hey kids. Are you hungry? Aunty Honor made pancakes, and I think I saw some donuts up on the counter."

"Donuts!" The twins cheered as Mitchum got up from his seat and handed both kids a donut.

"Can I open my present?" Rory asked.

"Go ahead. It's not much. The kids saw it at the store with their nanny yesterday, and Catherine insisted on getting it for you." Paris told her as Logan handed over the bag.

"Honey look! It's a cute baby outfit with Minnie Mouse on it!"

"Catherine is obsessed with Minnie."

"Thank you guys! This dress is absolutely adorable! Ayribella will definitely wear this!" Rory told them.

"You'll probably get a ton of Minnie stuff from her. I don't tend to say no to the kids when they want to do something nice for someone." Paris admitted.

"Well I love it! Thank you guys so much! This was very sweet of you."

"Honor, we got one for you too. They're a matching set." Paris said holding a bag out for Honor.

"For me? Thank you guys!" Honor said as she took the bag and pulled out an adorable Mickey Mouse outfit.

"Rory look! We'll have to get pictures of the babies together wearing these. They're so cute! Thank you Paris! Thank you munchkins! I love this!"

"You are very welcome."

"So Paris, what happened at the hospital yesterday after we left?" Logan asked.

"Before I answer that, I have a question for you."

"I wouldn't." Rory told her, giving Paris a look.

"What's with the pretty boy outfit? You couldn't find a shirt that actually fits?"

"Oh Paris!" Rory sighed.

"Why don't you ask your friend about her thoughts on the subject." Logan answered.

"Well she's clearly pregnant for a reason."

"Alright Paris, you can stop drooling now." Rory told her.

"Can I touch it?" Paris asked, holding a finger up.

"Are you freaking kidding me?! You too?! What is with you women?!" Logan asked, slapping Paris' hand away from him.

"It's as solid as it looks." Rory told her.

"Damn! I never thought that anyone ever actually looked like that! It's like looking at a photo shopped magazine."

"And it's glorious!"

"Can you two please stop ogling me?! Maybe I should go change." Logan said, starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Don't you dare!" Paris and Rory both snapped together, causing all the adults in the room to laugh.

"So anyway! What happened at the hospital?" Logan asked again.

"I completely decimated the little twit that started this whole nightmare. She's currently suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. And once it's proven to be false, she'll be terminated. I've already filed a complaint with the medical board. She'll never work in the state of New York, ever again! I need both of you to file a complaint against her as well."

"Collin, do it!" Logan told him.

"Already taken care of." Collin told them.

"So how much longer until I am no longer suspended?"

"I don't have an answer to that. The hospital board believes that you're innocent. They all know you. But that idiot in Internal Affairs is insisting on going forward with the investigation. She is completely ridiculous! I want to say that I understand that the hospital needs to take these kinds of things seriously, but the accusations are completely unfounded." Paris explained.

"So this is an internal affairs investigation then."

"That is correct. They've pulled your file, and they are digging into your past to see if they can find any indiscretions that prove the abuse allegations."

"They won't find shit."

"Logan! Mouth!" Paris snapped at him.

"Sorry. They won't find diddly squat."

"Children, don't ever repeat the naughty things that Uncle Logan says. That was a very bad word."

"Yes Mommy." the twins repeated in unison.

"Anyway, they're digging up your past and using this investigation as an example of how strict the hospital is about the treatment of patients."

"So basically the entire hospital now knows what is going on. That's just awesome!"

"Oh don't even worry about that. Everyone is completely pissed about it! You are pretty liked around that place, and the entire staff is upset that you are being singled out and treated so unfairly. There have already been several resignation threats made should something happen to you. Everyone is demanding that Patrice be fired, and thinks that you should sue her for filing a false report. They've also started planning you a staff baby shower set for 3 weeks out. Hopefully your suspension will be over by then so you can have contact with everyone again. If not, screw it, we'll just do it anyway!"

"You expect this crap to last for 3 weeks?"

"It's possible. You never know with internal affairs."

"But my record is clean!"

"They're interviewing everyone who has ever worked with you, or taken care of Rory. My entire clinic staff is being interviewed."

"Good lord!" Rory commented.

"Paris, I have a calendar full of patients to see!" Logan told her.

"I know. And I'm working with Doctor Greenley to take care of them for you."

"Wait, you are working in my clinic now?"

"I am tomorrow, yes. Doctor Greenley is scheduled to be in the ER all day, and you have 6 patients scheduled. He didn't want to have to cancel anyone, so I offered to step in. It'll be fine. I can handle it."

"Please be nice to my staff." Rory told her.

"I will be. I am actually making a conscious effort be easier on people lately. I don't need the next IA investigation to be me. That Annie chick is brutal!"

"Well Rory and Honor gave her quite the show yesterday." Collin told her.

"Yeah they did. Annie told Doctor Schultz that she's never met a more entertaining duo in her life. You two had gummy bears and everything."

"Hey, we had to stall her somehow. Honor and I were just being ourselves. We both know better than to actually tell that woman anything, so we just enjoyed ourselves. Plus, it was super entertaining for us knowing that you and Logan were about to storm in and rip her head off. It was actually a little bit disappointing that we didn't get to see it."

"See, as much as I wanted to do that, there were way too many witnesses, and I had to remain professional so that I didn't lose my job. That witch could end my career if she wants to. But trust me, she's got another thing coming if she dares to come after me. Karma will get her for what she is doing to you guys. And I may just know a way to help it along."

"What did you do?" Rory asked.

"I may have gotten Doctor Schultz to agree to watch her like a hawk and to dig into her past and make sure that you aren't the only person that she's tried to make an example of. If she hasn't gone this hard on every investigation, he'll can her for discrimination. That woman doesn't get to pick and choose which cases to go harder on. She has to treat them all exactly the same."

"Nice! Well thank you Paris!" Logan told her.

"So now we just have to fight back, and make sure she doesn't find anything in your past that she can use against you."

"What would she find? I've been in love with my wife for the past almost 13 years now. No one we know will tell her any different."

"What about your sister's bridesmaids?" Paris asked.

"What about them? How would she even find out about that?"

"Definitely not from me, but you never know who's mouth will start running.

"What about your sister's bridesmaids?" Mitchum asked.

"Nothing." Logan told him.

"Logan might have had a thing with a couple of them back in the day when him and Rory were on a break. It was a drunken mistake, a really long time ago." Honor explained as Logan shot her a look.

"I agree with Paris, that you never know who's mouth will run, but I highly doubt that woman would even know who to ask that would even know about that break up. The only people who know about it are in this room, and even Finn isn't stupid enough to bring that up. If she interviews any of us and asks why Rory and Logan broke up, we just refer to when they broke up after Rory's graduation. As far as she knows, that's the only one that ever happened. Rory and Logan both got jobs on opposite sides of the country. They weren't ready to get married 9 years ago. None of us were. And if she asks why, we just tell her that we were all fresh out of college and needed time to figure our lives out. The only one of us who really knew what they wanted out of life, was Paris. You always wanted to be a doctor. I never wanted to take over my dad's business. It was just expected of me. I don't regret taking it over, but it's definitely not what I wanted at 22 years old. All I wanted back then was to get drunk and party irresponsibly. I wasn't ready to be an adult. It took me several years to grow up enough to realize that Stephanie was completely right about me, and that I was being a selfish jerk with the way I was acting. Logan wasn't ready to get married when he asked Rory the first time. He was just afraid of losing her, so he pushed too hard, and ended up losing her anyway."

"Ok, can we please change the subject? This is all getting way too depressing, and Rory really doesn't need the added stress." Logan told them.

"Unfortunately, Collin does have a point. This is all going to be brought up in during the investigation." Paris told them as the doorbell rang.

"That is probably my attorneys. Logan, why don't you take Paris and Collin to my office." Mitchum told him.

"Finn, Josh, let's take the kids to the tv room. I'm sure we can find a fun movie to watch." Honor suggested. "The rest of you guys, have fun with the attorneys."

"I'll meet you guys in Dad's office. I need to talk to Rory." Logan said getting up from his seat, and holding his hand out for his wife.

"Rory, this may be too much for you. You can sit all of this out. No one will fault you." Paris told her.

"No, it's ok. I'll be fine. I'll let you hook up the heart monitor in a few minutes before they get started. Let me just talk to Logan first." Rory said as both Paris and Logan helped her up. "We'll meet you guys in Mitchum's office."

"Are you sure that you're ok?"

"I'm fine. I promise. I've dealt with worse things."

"Let's get you hooked up really quick since everyone else has left the room." Paris told her. "Logan, help me out. You should know how to do this." Paris said as she reached into her purse and pulled out a small pouch. "This is basically a continuous echo cardiogram. You just wear this monitor all day unless you are in the shower, and it will send your numbers right to my phone, so I can monitor how you're doing. I have one for the baby too."

"So I have to wear this all day every day?"

"Every day until you deliver, and probably for a couple weeks after, just so we can make sure that your condition was pregnancy related, and didn't actually cause you to develop a heart condition." Paris told her as she handed the pouch to Logan. "That one is for Rory's heart. I'll take care of hooking the baby up.

"You should teach me how to do that since I'll need to do it after Rory's shower."

"Good point. Do you have a sharpie? I'll mark where to put the leads."

"Probably in a drawer . . ." Logan said as he moved across the kitchen to where his family usually kept writing utensils, while Paris pulled out the equipment she needed to get Rory hooked up.

Would it be easier for you guys if I was sitting down?" Rory asked.

"It doesn't matter to me. We can do whatever is easiest for you. Standing, sitting, laying. It's your choice. Logan can get inside your bra to hook up your monitor. I just need access to Ayribella."

"Ace, why don't we sit you up on this counter, that way we have you up higher and neither of us has to crouch down on the floor Logan told her.

"And how in the world am I supposed to get up there?"

"I am going to pick you up, and put you up there, that's how." Logan said as he set the monitor and a sharpie on the counter. "Put your arms around my neck."

"Logan, I don't want you hurting yourself try to lift me."

"Babe, you've gained less than twenty pounds. You weigh nothing." Logan said as he effortlessly scooped her up into his arms, placing a kiss on her lips, then setting her down on the kitchen island. "I bench more than twice your weight in the gym. I could carry you around all day and not get winded."

"Alright, stop being cute, and let's get you hooked up." Paris told them.

"Do you guys need any help?" Blake asked, coming back into the kitchen.

"We've got it, but you can watch and learn." Paris told him. "Have you ever placed an echo cardio monitor before?"

"I have."

"Excellent! Logan is placing that one, and I'll teach you both how to place the fetal echo."

"No funny business." Rory said looking at Logan as he pulled the monitor and leads out of the case Paris had given him.

"I wouldn't dream of it. Besides, when have I ever messed around with anything medical?"

"You forget that I know you."

"Too many witnesses." Logan smiled, giving her another kiss, before he began placing the leads on Rory's chest.

"Alright, so these monitors track right to an app on my phone. And yes Logan, you can get the app too. You'll need your hospital log-in to access it. Give me your phone, and I'll download it." Paris told him.

"Let me know when you need my log-in." Logan said, handing Paris his phone.

"Please, I already have it. You forget who trained you."

"You don't know my password."

"You keep on thinking that. Your wife might know you best, but I'm her best friend. And I've spent more than enough drunken nights studying with you."

"I gave you my password?"

"You didn't have to."

"You guys have all known each other way too long." Blake commented as he watched Logan hook his wife up to the monitor.

"Sixteen years for Rory and I." Paris told him.

"That's longer than most marriages these days."

"Longer than my parents."

"Speaking of your parents. Are you going to take the kids to see your mom while you're down here today."

"If I didn't and she found out, I wouldn't live to see another day."

"Your mom wouldn't kill you."

"She would definitely try. We are having dinner with her tonight. Honor said it would be ok if I brought the kids to hang out here. She said she's happy to watch them while we deal with the drama."

"Paris, you know your kids are always welcome with us. We would never tell you not to bring them."

"Your kids are adorable! Do you mind if I hang out with them while you guys are in your meeting? I love kids!" Blake told her.

"No, that's totally fine. The more the merrier." Paris agreed. "They can never have too many aunts and uncles to love on them. "Alright, Logan, here's your phone. You know how to read an echo, right?"

"Yes Paris." Logan told her.

"Do I need to log in?"

"You are already logged in."

"How?"

"Like Blake said, we've all known each other way too long. Plus, you married your password."

"You suck Paris!"

"Rory, make him change his password. It's too easy."

"It's three letters and six numbers."

"It's your wife's initials and birth date."

"Yeah, you should probably change that." Blake agreed.

"Or at least mix up the order."

"Anyway! Blake, do you know how to read an echo monitor?"

"Mitchum has one."

"So you have this app on your phone then."

"Yes I do."

"Oh excellent! Alright, so if Logan wants to give you access, then he can do that. Let's get Ayribella hooked up." Paris told them as she reached for Rory's shirt, pushing it up over her stomach. "Hey Ayribella! It's Auntie Paris. I'm going to put a monitor on you, so I can make sure that you're doing ok. You just keep being cute in there, and keep kicking away, alright? I can't wait for you to come out, so I can spoil you rotten. Your cousins are super excited to play with you." Paris said, rubbing Rory's stomach, then reached for her stethoscope, and the fetal Doppler that she had brought with her. "Alright, so we are going to use both the stethoscope and the Doppler to find Ayribella's heartbeat. We have six leads to place. Because babies move so much, especially when they are this small, it can be hard to keep continuous monitoring going. This monitor is different than Rory's. The leads on this monitor actually signal each other to provide a more spatial monitoring system. Generally, we place the leads in kind of a circle on the mother's stomach. We want to make sure that we have good planes of coverage, that way when the baby moves, we don't lose her on the monitor. Most nurses, unless you work in my office, don't know how to determine the difference between the baby's heartbeat, the mother's heartbeat, and the pumping placenta. I wouldn't expect either of you to be able to determine the difference.

"I know the difference." Logan told her.

"You do?" Paris asked, surprise evident in her voice.

"I'm a doctor, and my wife is pregnant. Plus, I've worked in the ER for the last 5 years."

"This is true." Paris conceded. "I am going to have you place these leads then. Here's the stethoscope. Go ahead and find Ayribella's heartbeat, and place your first lead. Blake, you can double check his work with the Doppler. Make sure you mark the spot with the sharpie."

"If this is how I need to do it every time, I don't need the sharpie." Logan told her.

"Good point. Alright Mister smarty pants, go ahead and find your daughter's heartbeat and place your lead. As soon as it's placed, it will register on the app on our phones. That was perfect. Now move the stethoscope to the left about 20 degrees, and place your next lead."

"So I just do this all the way around?"

"Pretty much. Just make sure that you can still hear her heartbeat, even if it sounds faint. The leads send signals back and forth to each other, so even with the baby moving, one of them should be in perfect range of Ayribella's heart at all times."

"This is actually pretty cool. Hi baby. Daddy's got you." Logan smiled as Ayribella kicked his hand. "I love you so much, Princess."

"She loves when you are nearby." Rory smiled.

"Babies can tell who is nearby by your voice, and also by your touch. When you touch Rory's stomach, it blocks out a certain amount of light. Your hand is obviously bigger than Rory's, so Ayribella knows that when a certain amount of light dims, Daddy is touching her."

"That is fascinating." Blake commented.

"Have you guys tried the flashlight trick yet?"

"What flashlight trick?" Rory asked.

"You shine a flashlight on your stomach, and Ayribella will move to follow it. You can literally have her flipping around in circles. It's pretty entertaining to do, especially with twins. They fight to get to the light. Toward the end of your pregnancy, you can watch a big blob in your stomach move. It's kind of freaky to watch. The whole baby will flip around. Or you'll see them stretch. Mine liked to shove their foot into my side to make it stick out and look weird."

"I remember that." Rory chuckled. "It looked like you had a tumor or something popping out."

"It was crazy to watch."

"Alright, leads are all on."

"I hate to say it Huntzberger, but I'm actually very impressed! If you got some additional training, I may allow you to work in my office someday."

"Yeah, I don't know about that." Logan told her. "Daddy has you all hooked up to the monitor Sweet Girl. We are going to make sure that you're ok. You and Mommy are the two most important people in my life, and I love you so so much." He smiled, rubbing a circle on Rory's stomach, then placed a kiss in the middle before replacing Rory's shirt.

"Alright, so now we just watch the monitors. The fetal monitor detects not just Ayribella's heartbeat, but also every kick and movement that she makes. It also tells us the rate of the placenta's pump, and level of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby. If you start leaking fluid, I'll be able to tell."

"Which numbers are which?" Logan asked.

"The top line is Ayribella's heart rate. The second one is just showing that she's moving well. That line won't fluctuate much. The third one you will see X's when she kicks. The higher up the chart it goes, the more powerful the kick was. You will see them get more powerful as the pregnancy progresses. The bottom line should just remain steady. If it begins to dip it means that there is fluid leaking. Toward the end of the pregnancy, a little bit of leaking is normal. But if it's too much, we'll be forced to do an emergency delivery."

"So what numbers are we watching for that signal a problem?"

"The monitor is set to automatically alert us. If the baby stops moving for too long of a period, the monitor will start beeping, and an alarm will go off on your phone. You can usually just push on the baby to get her moving again, and then everything will be fine. If for whatever reason the baby doesn't start moving within 5-10 minutes, I want you in my office for an ultrasound."

"Or in my office, right?"

"If you are at HPG, that is fine, but I'll still probably need you in my office, unless I am able to come to you. If the baby's heart rate slows too much, an alarm will go off. Whenever an alarm goes off, open the app, and it will tell you exactly what is going on. As soon as you open it, it will have a red bar flashing on the screen with a message telling what you what is wrong. If it says fetal heart, you call 911 and get to the ER immediately. If the placenta begins to rupture, the pump rate will either slow down or increase depending on the type of rupture. If the monitor says O2, you dial 911. Do not move, or allow Rory to move unless the paramedics are assisting you. Any movement can cause the rupture to expedite. If you are standing or walking, you immediately lie down."

"So basically, if the alarm goes off, and it's the baby, we call 911?" Logan asked.

"That is correct. Unless it's the baby's movement, and then you just push on her. The alarm should immediately stop as soon as the baby begins moving again. If it continues for several minutes, you can silence the alarm, and get to my office as quickly as you can. There is a silence button that you will see on the app any time an alarm sounds. You will never have to suffer through an alarm until you can get to the hospital. You will be able to turn it off with the app."

"What if I'm not with Rory when it happens?"

"Same plan as always. Unless it's the baby's movement, you call 911. If it's Rory's monitor, it means that her heart rate is too high, and it needs to be lowered. Just remember, any monkey business that you two get up to, I'll be able to see. I know you two, and I know your habits. Rory's heart rate needs to remain in the resting range. I don't want to see it elevated higher than walking up and down the stairs. I'll allow Rory out of bed only because I know you, and I know that you will make sure she's not doing anything strenuous. You can walk from your car to the office, slowly. No rushing. I prefer that you work at home though. This alarm will go off, and it will alert me if Rory's heart rate climbs too high. If the numbers change more than twenty beats per minute, I will know about it. Heck, I'll know about it anyway, but the alarm will go off on my phone when it goes by twenty beats of where her resting rate is. The monitor will determine what is normal for you, based on your behaviors, and once you go twenty above, there will be an alarm. It usually takes it about 24 hours to get your average set."

"So I have to wear this 24 hours a day?" Rory asked.

"That is correct. And don't think that you can take it off to have sex, because I'll be able to tell. Most people think that they can just disconnect the monitor, but they forget about the baby monitor, thinking that it won't tell me anything. WRONG! I'll know immediately!"

"Please, I'm not that stupid." Logan told her.

"Oh, I know that you aren't. I actually expect all kinds of tricks out of you. But just know, if this monitor is disconnected for more than a certain amount of time, I'll know about it, and I'll be letting myself into your house to smash your knees up."

"So no longer than how long it takes for Rory to shower. Got it."

"Rory, if you want to take a bath to help you relax. Call me, or shoot me a text. Please don't make me come after you guys. We're close, but I don't want to be involved in your sex life, ok? So please Logan, keep it in your pants."

"You realize how completely unfair you are being, right?"

"You'll survive! Once you have that little baby girl in your arms, you'll realize just how worth the wait was. And don't even think for a second that you can hide your habits by suddenly taking 5-10 showers a day. No one showers that much!"

"I've showered that much!" Logan protested. "I shower every time I leave the hospital, just to make sure I don't go transporting germs in my car. If I take a break to go get lunch, I shower. Then I shower again when I leave to go home. If I'm working in the ER, any time I have to leave the building, I shower. I keep 5 sets of clothing in my locker at all times."

"Ok, well Rory doesn't shower that much. I know Rory. I lived with her for several years. Don't try to hide from me Huntzberger. I know how to find you, and I'm not afraid to hang your balls on my wall."

"Whatever you say Paris." Logan said, rolling his eyes as his friend.

"I'm not kidding Logan. I will cut them off."


	70. Chapter 70

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

So my friend with Covid, her boyfriend and his mom both just tested positive as well. It's spreading bad you guys! And now they're saying that new evidence is showing that it is airborne. This is so scary serious! Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask.

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I have been cracking up reading them lately. Thank you so much! You guys really keep me going. I really look forward to reading every single one of them. I've even responded to a few, so check your messages! But I have to say that I am almost disappointed that I didn't get a single topless Logan comment from any of you. I thought for sure certain people would be drooling. I mean really, I did that just for all of you. Because you all know exactly how HOT Matt Czuchry is! =-D

* * *

"Ace, before we go into my Dad's office, I want to talk to you." Logan said as they headed out of the kitchen.

"What's up?"

"Come here. I don't want to talk near anyone." Logan said, leading Rory down a long hallway, then opening a door at the far end.

"Where are we?"

"This used to be my grandpa's office. I don't think anyone has been in here since he died."

"It's been what, like 8 or 10 years?"

"Something like that."

"And no one has been in here since then? That's crazy!"

"That's Huntzberger." Logan said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, we need to talk."

"What's going on?"

"I just want to be sure that we're ok. It's sounding like things could start to get really ugly for us with that psycho IA lady wanting to dig into our past. I have nothing to hide. If I did, the medical board would have found it already, and rejected my license application. And I know that you don't have anything to hide either. I'm not worried about any of that at all. But I am worried about us. You and I. This relationship. We've been through a lot. But I also know that it wasn't easy for you earlier, having the whole bridesmaids thing brought up. I know that it was a really long time ago, and that we've gotten past it, but that still doesn't make having to hear or talk about it any easier. We have a lot going on right now, and we definitely have some big challenges ahead of us. But at the end of the day, this is our relationship, and whatever happens, I need to know where we stand. I'm in this. You know that I am. I asked you to marry me 9 years ago, and I would have married you even before that if I thought that you would have been ok with it. I'm not going to back down and not fight to make things better for us. But if this is all too much for you, I need to know right now."

"Baby, you didn't do anything wrong. You didn't ask for any of this bullshit. If this ridiculous investigation isn't fair to someone, it's you. I'm not even really a part of this. It's you that woman is after. I'm just the person she's hurting by extension."

"I know, but you don't deserve this crap either."

"This is all so ridiculous. Why would she come after you like this? Did you sleep with her and piss her off or something?"

"Never! I've never seen her before, in my entire life. I had just met her at 4am yesterday when we were introduced in the hallway outside your room. I don't even know her last name. I only know that she goes by Patrice."

"Why would she be after you like this then?"

"I honestly wish that I knew. At least then maybe some of this crap would start to make sense."

"Paris said that the hospital board knows you and that they don't support this investigation."

"It's the internal affairs office having a vendetta."

"Do you know anyone in internal affairs?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Have you ever slept with Annie Eubanks?"

"I've never slept with anyone named Annie."

"Do you know anyone with the last name Eubanks?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"So that woman that came in to question me yesterday, you've never seen her before?"

"Not even once. Collin knows everyone that I've ever slept with, so if he remembered something I didn't, he would have said something by now."

"This just doesn't make any sense."

"I know . . ."

"It almost makes you wish that you had accepted the position with Doctors Without Borders, doesn't it?"

"Not even a little bit. I would never walk away from you."

"What if I went with you?"

"And give up the amazing life that we have here?"

"We could always come back to it."

"If you want to go after Ayribella is born, I'll apply again. How's that?"

"Baby, I want you go do everything. Volunteering for Doctors Without Borders could be an amazing experience for you."

"But having a life here, with you and with Ayribella means so much more to me than anything else in the world. Even if I lost my medical license tomorrow. Even if this investigation completely destroyed my career. As long as I have you, and our beautiful little baby girl, I'll be just fine. I don't need anything else. I could give up right now. I could call and tell the hospital to take their ridiculous investigation and shove it where the sun doesn't shine. I could forfeit my medical license and let Patrice win, and I wouldn't even think twice about it as long as you and I were ok."

"Logan, I won't let you do that. I won't let her win."

"I know you won't. I'm going to fight this, but I need to know that this is what you want. I won't put you through all of this bullshit if it's not what you want. You can back out right now, and I won't question it."

"What are you talking about back out? Why would I back out? What would I even back out of? Our marriage? Logan, don't even talk like that. That's just stupid. I am in this. I married you, and I am standing by you through all of this. You have worked so hard for your career, and I'll be damned if I let some crazy bitch try to take it from you. I am in this. And I'll take this thing public, and completely destroy that woman's life if it means keeping your career intact."

"Are you sure that you want to do this? Because it's going to be tough to have the past thrown in our face. I don't want to put you through any of that if I don't have to."

"So let's dig up Patrice's past. Find out how many bodies she has hidden behind that self-righteous attitude. Let's pull every single deteriorated skeleton out of her closet. See how much she likes it. And we'll take Annie down at the same time. If they want to make an example out of us, then they have another thing coming. Because I own the media. I have all the power and the tools to completely destroy both of them. If they want to play dirty, let's play ball. Let them drag up our past. We have absolutely nothing to hide."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Babe . . ." Rory smiled, reaching up to cup Logan's face with her hands, and place a gentle kiss on his lips. "Who is the master prankster in this relationship?"

"You are. It used to be me at one point, but you clearly stole that trophy and completely ruined my reputation with it."

"That's right. And I would gladly do it again too." Rory chuckled. "But really . . . Of everyone we know, who makes the best team in the world?"

"You and Lorelai. Well, you and your Grandpa actually. You two are amazing together!"

"Who else?"

"You and Doyle make a pretty good team. And you and Honor are just vindictively comical together."

"This is true. But Who else? Who is my favorite team member? Who makes a better team than all of those people?"

"I have no idea."

"Really? Because the last time I checked you and I have done pretty well together . . ."

"I guess that's true."

"You guess?"

"No, that is true. You and I make an amazing team."

"So let's wipe the floor with this crazy bitch."

"You have no idea how much I love you right now."

"Really? Because it's probably a good thing that you know how to get these monitors off."

"Oh, they're definitely coming off! I promise you, tonight, they're coming off!"

"I'm going to hold you to that." Rory smiled as Logan wrapped his arms around her. "We'll get through this, ok?"

"I know . . . I just don't want you getting hurt in the process."

"So let's go wipe the floor with that little wench. We'll teach her to mess with the Huntzbergers."

"Damn I love you!"

"I love you too baby." Rory cooed as Logan kissed her. "Oh hey, baby, I just thought of something . . ."

"What's that?"

"I think maybe I might have to let my inner Emily Gilmore out to play."

"Oh, I am definitely going to have fun watching this one play out!" Logan said excitedly

"Should we go light some fires?"

"Let's blow their world to microscopic little pieces."

"I like your style Huntzberger." Rory smiled, kissing Logan again, then opening the door behind him, and pushing him out of the office. "It's time to have for us to have ourselves a little bit of fun."

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * Mitchum's Office * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"So Mitchum, are you still enjoying your retirement, or are you ready to go back to work?" one of the men asked as they sat, chatting, waiting on Rory and Logan to join them.

"You know, I am enjoying it. I didn't really think that I would when I was first forced out last fall, but it's definitely grown on me."

"So you like being free from the grind then?"

"I actually do. I've been spending a lot of time with my daughter, and now I've got my son and his wife here, and it's actually really nice. There is nothing that I actually have to do. I get to play golf, I've been doing a little bit of yoga with my wife, doing some swimming. It's been relaxing and peaceful."

"Where is Shira? We haven't seen or heard from her in months."

"Shira is out of town right now. She'll be back in a few weeks. She's doing some traveling. Getting a new perspective on things."

"You didn't go with her?"

"I did. I've met up with her a few times. I actually just got back last night. The kids called saying that Logan needed help, so I jumped on a plane and flew home."

"What kind of trouble is Logan into this time? Did he steal another boat? Maybe a plane this time?"

"Oh no. His troublesome days a long behind him. He actually didn't do anything at all the time. It's actually what's been done to him. Completely unfairly might I add. It's been at least ten years since I last had to bail Logan out. He's usually the one doing the bailing now."

"I don't think anyone ever expected to see the day that kid would finally grow up."

"You know, I don't think that Logan ever expected for that to happen either. But I did. Logan is a good kid. He's done very well for himself. Ah, there he is! Logan, Rory, please join us." Mitchum smiled as Logan entered the office. "Rory, please, come take my chair."

"Thank you Mitchum, that is very kind, but I'm happy to take the couch. I need to put my feet up.

"Oh come on, that's what desks were made for! Come sit." Mitchum said standing up and holding his arm out toward his chair.

"Mitchum, that chair is huge. It will swallow me."

"Share it with Logan then. This chair is mighty comfortable. Please sit. Make yourself comfortable." Mitchum told her.

"It's fine. I'll share it with you." Logan whispered in her ear, leading Rory behind Mitchum's desk, and taking a seat in the extra-large chair, pulling Rory down with him

"See, the chair fits both of you." Mitchum said as Logan pulled Rory's legs across his lap, and up over the arm of the chair, then moved his arm behind her, to help support her back.

"Gentlemen, this is Rory. She's the new CEO of HPG. Rory, this is Gilbert, Ronald and Mitchell. They've been my legal team for about 20 years now."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." Rory said with a polite smile as Mitchum pulled a chair up next to them.

"Rory, Mitchum must think very highly of you to let you take over his company." Ronald spoke up.

"Well Mitchum worked really hard to build HPG to what it is today. I am honored to follow in his footsteps."

"Rory is doing a wonderful job. I couldn't be prouder." Mitchum told them.

"Well thank you! Actually Mitchum, would you mind if I used your computer while we all talk? I need to do a little bit of research on the situation, and my laptop is upstairs."

"Yes, of course, that's not a problem at all. But uh . . . I'm actually not sure where exactly my computer is right now . . ." Mitchum said as he looked around the office, pulling open a couple of drawers, but not seeing it.

"It's actually at my house." Logan told him. "I took it there months ago after your first heart attack. Sorry, I forgot all about that. I'll call Honor and have her go grab yours for you."

"Thanks Honey." Rory said as Logan pulled his phone out of his pocket to call his sister.

"So I guess while we're waiting on that, have you gentlemen met our other two guests today? This is Collin McCrae, he's mine and Logan's personal attorney, and our good friend Doctor Paris Gellar. Doctor Gellar works at the hospital with Logan, and is also my doctor."

"It's nice to meet you." Mitchell greeted them.

"So things seem to have changed a lot around here Mitchum. Rory is now running your company, you no longer have a maid greeting your guests, and everyone in the house seems to be wearing gym clothes. Life definitely has changed for you."

"Logan and I are more or less on vacation while we're here. We decided that we are going to enjoy ourselves while we are away from home, and that starts with ditching the corporate clothing style." Rory told them.

"So you are all wearing gym clothes."

"I'm pregnant and Doctor Gellar put me on bed rest yesterday, so I'm just wearing whatever fits and is most comfortable for lounging around all day. And Logan . . . He's just nice to look at."

"Logan is a very devoted husband. He's been there with Rory, every day of her pregnancy. Logan doesn't leave her side." Mitchum told them.

"Happy wife, happy life." Gilbert commented.

"Exactly!" Logan agreed. "Has my Dad explained to you why you are all here?"

"He has not." Mitchell answered.

"Alright then. So it's kind of a long story. Shall we get started?"

"Yes, please." Collin answered.

"Collin, Paris, scoot your chairs over here. I feel like you aren't even here, you are so far away." Rory told them, seeing them at the far side of the room. "Come over here. Especially you Paris. I'm going to need your help."

"My help? What do you need my help for?"

"I need information. Come help me."

"Alright, so here's what is going on. Collin is doing his best to handle everything, but Dad thought that maybe you guys would be a good source of information on this fight since you have all kinds of crazy people experience." Logan said as his friends pulled their chairs up closer to Mitchum's desk. "Super early yesterday morning, Rory woke up feeling like something was off with the baby. Her heart was racing, and being a doctor myself, I had the equipment I needed to check things out at my office, so I took her down there to find out that she has very high blood pressure. Everything else seemed stable, so I called her doctor, Doctor Gellar, who told me to take Rory to the hospital to have some tests run. I couldn't run the tests myself because I don't have a lab in my office, and it was 3:00 in the morning. When we got to the hospital, I took Rory up to labor and delivery like Paris asked me to. I've been an employee of the Columbia University system and Columbia Presbyterian Hospital for the last 5 years, but it's a big place, and all staff members don't know each other. I know a lot of them, and we all have a great relationship. But newer people I only know if I worked with them in the emergency room. I only know a couple of people on the labor and delivery floor, and unfortunately for me, only one of them was working while Rory and I were there, which we found out after everything happened. I got Rory into her room, changed and in bed, then went to talk to the nurses to get her tests run, and the person running the shift on that floor was someone I had never met. From the second this woman was introduced to me, she decided that she didn't like me. Columbia's hospital policy dictates that no staff member can treat a patient who is family, meaning that my wife is not allowed to also be my patient. However, the hospital does give doctors consulting rights pertaining to the treatment of their family and friends."

"What does consulting mean?" Gilbert asked.

"It means that even though Rory is my patient, Logan is allowed to have an opinion on the treatment she receives. It basically makes us team doctors. I am the one handling Rory's care and making all of the decisions, but Logan has the right to question my practices. Question the way I do things, and suggest other methods of treatment and/or medication. I don't necessarily have to agree with how Logan sees things, because being Rory's doctor, her care is ultimately my call. But we make a team effort with our patients in order to give them all the best care possible. We actually do it with all of our patients. We all have different specialties, but that doesn't make any single person an expert on everything. I specialize in obstetrics and Logan specializes in immunology and internal medicine. Logan knows more about viruses and the common cold than I do, while I know more about pregnancy and babies than he does. I actually consult with Logan all the time, whenever I have a pregnant patient who is sick and I need advice on how to treat them, because a lot of family doctors are afraid to treat their pregnant patients, out of fear of hurting the baby. Doctors team treat their patients all the time."

"Alright, Logan, go on." Mitchell urged him.

"I went to talk to the nurses about the tests that Doctor had told me to request for her."

"So Doctor Gellar, you weren't there?"

"No, I was at home with my children, I didn't anticipate a problem so I came in at my regular time of 8am." Paris answered.

"When I went to speak with the nurses, I was introduced to the new Physician's Assistant that was running the shift. Her name is Patrice."

"Paris, I need her last night." Rory commented.

"Patrice immediately decided that she doesn't like me. Rather than work with me to help my wife, Patrice decided to patronize me, and lecture me on hospital policy. She didn't care that I have 5 years seniority on her, and that I am a doctor in good standing in the hospital, with a great relationship with the administrative leadership team. This PA decided that it was her job to judge me, and make it hard to get my wife the care that she needed, which is the right of every patient that comes through the hospital doors. Patrice called me manipulative and controlling, when I asked the nurses to allow me to assist them with my wife's care, and give me diagnosis and treatment information, so that I could take the burden off of my wife. My wife has a very high risk pregnancy, which is dangerous to both her and our unborn daughter. All I asked was that they give me the test results and discuss things with me first, allowing me to choose how to break the news to my wife, rather than delivering the information right to my wife who has zero medical background, and could easily misinterpret and over react to the information, putting both her and our daughter at a greater risk. As a medical professional, I thought it was both courteous and helpful to have me to shoulder the burden. But rather than allowing me to help my wife, Patrice decided that not only was she going to refuse to help my wife yesterday, but that she was going to call in a resident to do it. As it turns out, the resident that was on staff is someone who I helped train, and have a great relationship with. Everything was going great as soon as Patrice refused to work with us. I got to work with Wendy, my old resident, and some really great L&D nurses. We were able to get Rory hooked up to all of the monitors that we needed, and get all of her testing done so she could get a couple hours or sleep before Paris came in for her shift at 8am. When Paris came in, she had all of the test results in her hand, which she gladly handed to me for review while Rory slept. Paris diagnosed Rory with Gestational Hypertension."

"What does that mean?" Ronald asked.

"Gestational Hypertension means that Rory developed extremely high blood pressure during the second half of her pregnancy. Normally, it will go away after the baby is born, and not cause any further problems. However, if left untreated, Rory could end up with serious damage to her blood vessels which could decrease blood flow to her liver, kidneys, brain, uterus and the placenta which grows and feeds the baby. As the condition worsens it can lead to pre-eclampsia and eclampsia which could cause placental abruption, poor fetal growth, still birth, seizures, and even death to both mother and baby."

"Wow! So how do you treat this condition?" Gilbert asked.

"With medication, monitoring and lots of rest. Just before we came into this office I hooked Rory up to two different monitors. Rory is wearing an echo cardiogram monitor which monitors her heart rate, and alerts me if there are any changes. She is also wearing a fetal echo cardio monitor which monitors the baby's heart rate, the baby's movement and kicks, the placenta feeding and growing the baby, and the fluid surrounding the baby. Because there is a risk of palcental abruption we need to know if the placenta starts to stop working or begins to rupture as it could be fatal to both the mother and baby. Doctor Huntzberger and I will both receive e-mails from the monitors every hour, tracking his wife and daughter's information. We can also monitor them directly from an app on our phones, and see everything that is going on, and the averages for how they are doing. Should there be any changes of event such as Rory's heart rate rapidly increasing, or if the baby's heart were to slow or stop, an alarm would sound on both the monitor and our phones, which would require our immediate attention. Once we open the app, we would immediate see a red bar flashing on the screen to tell us exactly what event was taking place. Along with monitoring his wife via this app, Doctor Huntzberger will be continuing to check her vitals multiple times throughout the day, and report any changes to me. He'll be checking her oxygen, blood pressure, and temperature, as well as monitoring her urine color and output, as well as bowl movements for any abnormalities. While Rory and Logan are staying here in Hartford with Mitchum, they also have help from the nurse the family hired to help Mitchum following his heart attacks. Between, us two doctors, and Mitchum's nurse, we have all hands on deck and both patients are expertly cared for. It's a team effort." Paris explained.

"Alright, so Doctor Gellar reports to the hospital for her shift at 8am, and gave you the test results for your wife. Was that not allowed?" Ronald asked. "Logan, are you listed as someone the hospital is allowed to have contact with on Rory's chart? Because according to HIPAA, your name must be listed on Rory's paperwork, granting the hospital permission to communicate with you, or you are not permitted to have access to any of her medical records."

"Yes, Doctor Gellar and I are well versed in HIPAA practices. Rory and I are both listed on each other's records, as well as on my father's records."

"Both Rory and Logan are also listed on all of mine and my family's records." Paris shared.

"My medical records list Paris, Logan, my mother, and Collin, my attorney, as having access." Rory confirmed.

"Alright Logan, please continue." Gilbert told him.

"Paris and I discussed Rory's results, and then were talking about her care plan, which brought up the events of Rory being brought in. Paris jokingly asked what I did to upset Patrice and make her refuse to care for Rory. Paris doesn't care to work with Patrice, but was curious why Patrice wouldn't work with me since most hospital staff actually really likes me. I honestly had no idea what I did to upset the woman, so we asked Wendy, the resident who had taken on Rory's care, who told us that Patrice's reason for being unwilling to treat my wife was that she feels that I am abusive, manipulative and controlling."

"What makes her think that?" Mitchell asked.

"I wish I knew. Patrice never even laid eyes on my wife. She was nowhere to be seen when I brought Rory in, and Rory was in her room behind a closed door when I met Patrice. She never went into Rory's room, never talked to her. Patrice couldn't pick Rory out of a line up even if she tried. But somehow from talking to me for 30 seconds, Patrice decided that I am a bad person who she refuses to work with."

"Doctor Gellar, how would you describe Logan? I know that you two are obviously friends, but what is he like professionally? What is he like to work with?" Ronald asked.

"Oh, this is going to be fun!" Paris smiled. "Logan is arrogant. He's smart, he knows his facts. Logan is very educated, and stays up to date on advances in medicine and new illnesses that appear in our society. He is a great diagnostician. He studies, asks a ton of questions, and he does his homework. Logan knows what he is doing, and he is a professional at it. He's definitely got the cocky attitude down, but rightfully so. He is very confidant and honest with his patients. He doesn't lie to them, or manipulate them into any specific treatment the way other doctors do. Logan will sit with you and explain all of the options to you in detail, and if asked, will give his personal opinion on what he feels should be done. He is always open to a second opinion and often initiates additional opinions himself before even approaching his patient with a diagnosis or a treatment plan. He is very easy to get along with, and works great as part of a team. But he's also a great leader. Logan has no problem stepping up and taking the lead on anything, but also doesn't mind taking a step back and allowing someone else to lead either. He almost always has an opinion on everything, and isn't afraid to let it be known. But even when Logan's opinion differs from others, he is at least polite about it, and doesn't cram his opinion down your throat even when he knows for a fact that he is right and you aren't. He's nice about it, and he offers his advice in a calm rational manner that is so nice that it makes you question and hate yourself later on because you wonder just how you were careless enough to not see that your answer was wrong. It takes talent to make people question themselves so deeply."

"So would you say that Logan is controlling? Manipulative? Abusive in any way?"

"Not at all. Especially not when it comes to his wife. Rory and Logan have been together off and on for about 13 years. I've known Rory since high school, and only met Logan in college when we were all at Yale together. But not once has Logan ever been controlling, manipulative, or abusive to her in any way. He's always been kind and gentle. Definitely arrogant and self-centered. He's entitled and a royal pain in my ass. Sometimes secretive. But he's always been pretty good to Rory. He's never lifted a hand to her. Never raised his voice to her. Never called her any names. If anything, he's always acted like a lovesick puppy toward her. Even when him and Rory were broken up, Logan was just hopelessly, disgustingly pathetic when it came to Rory. He would buy her presents to prove his love and commitment to her. Flood our apartment with flowers, chocolates, books, candles, fruit, coffee, anything he could think of that he knew Rory loved, he gave them to her, in abundance. Rory could have made Logan her lapdog, and he would have been happy to be lead around on a pink leash, kissing her ass at any given moment. Logan worships the ground Rory walks on. If Rory says jump, Logan asks how high about halfway up. There is nothing that Logan wouldn't do for Rory. I've never thought that Logan was good enough for my best friend, but he's who Rory chose for a partner, and I have to accept that. But I can assure you that if Logan ever did anything to hurt my best friend, I wouldn't think twice about murdering him with my bare hands."

"When Paris and I were hooking Rory's monitors up in the other room, Paris threatened to chop off my balls and hang them on her office wall if I don't follow her exact instructions on Rory's monitoring." Logan told them. If anyone is controlling, manipulative and abusive, it's Paris." Logan added.

"And I will gladly and proudly admit that I am fully guilty as charged." Paris agreed.

"Collin, you have known Logan for most of his life, as I recall." Mitchell started. "Is what Doctor Gellar said a fair assessment of your friend?"

"I fully agree with everything Paris said. Every single word. And she really will chop off his balls and hang them on her office wall. Then she'll take pictures of her trophy and make sure to send them to you in every text message she ever sends you, just to remind you that she owns you."

"Yes, yes, I am guilty of that too." Paris beamed.

"So then you would agree with Doctor Gellar that the PA made an unfair assumption in her personal opinion of your friend." Ronald confirmed.

"That is correct." Collin answered.

"Alright, let's continue then."

"Paris, would you like to take things from here?" Logan asked.

"I would love to!" Paris agreed. "Logan and I were both upset by Patrice's words, so I left him in Rory's room and went to have a chat with the hospital's chief of staff about what had taken place early yesterday morning. Our resident Wendy, had made us aware that not only was Patrice making unfair, extremely negative judgmental assumptions about Logan, but that she had also shared with the rest of the staff on shift with her. When I got to the chief of staff's office, the door was opened and I saw that Patrice was in his office, already detailing the morning's events to him, making demands that Logan be investigated for patient abuse to his wife."

"Investigated for patient abuse?" Gilbert asked.

"Patient abuse to his wife." Paris confirmed.

"How is that even possible?" Ronald asked.

"I would like to know that myself." Paris told him. "Our chief of staff, Doctor Schultz, has worked with Logan a lot in the last 5 years. Especially over the last several months as Logan transitioned out of working in the emergency room, to running his own partner clinic with the hospital, in the HPG building. Doctor Schultz knows both Rory and Logan pretty well. The entire hospital board knows them, and I want to say considers them good friends to each board member. I believe most of the board was actually in attendance at Logan's birthday party last month."

"They were. They were also at the clinic opening events." Logan confirmed.

"Logan is very well liked throughout the hospital. Unlike me, who a lot of the other hospital staff is deathly afraid of, because I'm demanding, controlling, manipulative and very boisterous, Logan is friendly, approachable, easy to talk to and get along with. And he's obviously much easier on the eyes. Logan gets along with everyone while I only get along with certain people. But there was Patrice, standing in Doctor Schultz's office, yelling at him about Logan, insisting that he shouldn't be allowed to treat or consult on his wife, and accusing him of being controlling, manipulative and abusive. Doctor Schultz asked Patrice to calm down multiple times, even suggesting that the words and descriptions she was using were hostile and accusatory, and that maybe she should choose to use some different words because the ones she was using are very strong, and very descriptive, and they could force an unnecessary, completely unfair investigation into one of the hospital's best doctors. But the thing is, that investigation is exactly what Patrice wanted. Doctor Schultz tried to assure her multiple times that he would look into what she was saying, and that the situation would be handled. I got so sick of hearing the hatred spewing from the woman's mouth, that I decided to put my two cents in, and apparently made things worse, because a couple minutes later, Patrice stormed out. Two hours later, I was in my office seeing patients, and I received an emergency page to Rory's room, as well as a text message telling me to get there right away. The patient I happened to be seeing was Logan's sister, Honor, so we both went running out of my office, tearing across the hospital as fast as we could to get to Rory to see what was going on. When we walked into Rory's room, Rory had Collin on speaker phone giving her instructions, and a woman from Internal Affairs sitting in a chair next to her, attempting to question her about abuse from her husband."

"Where was Logan when all of this was happening?" Gilbert asked.

"Logan had been approached about twenty minutes prior, and drug down to Doctor Schultz's office to chat about the whole situation. While there, he was made aware that there was an investigation that had just been forced upon them, against the advice of both the board and the chief of staff."

"What kind of investigation?"

"An investigation of alleged abuse to his wife. While I was speaking with Doctor Schultz, Patrice had stormed out and apparently went to the internal affairs office to file a complaint against Logan, and accuse him of controlling, manipulative patient abuse to his wife."

"Shouldn't the only person allowed to file an abuse claim against a spouse be the other spouse?" Mitchell asked.

"See that's the thing. Only a spouse can press domestic abuse charges against their partner. However, a medical professional who is trained to spot abuse can force an investigation should they see the signs and feel that it is necessary for the safety and well-being of their patient."

"But Rory was never her patient. You said that this woman never laid eyes on Rory, nor did she talk to her."

"That is correct! That is exactly correct! You could give Patrice a picture of ten women, heck, 4 of them could be various pictures of Rory, and you could even throw in one of her mother and grandmother, and Patrice still wouldn't be able to tell you which one of the woman Rory was, and she would have a 40% chance of getting it right, and a 60% chance of getting someone in Rory's family! It's completely ridiculous! Hell, you could even throw in a picture of my sister, and give the jerk a 70% chance of getting someone in the family, and she still wouldn't be able to pick the right photo." Logan told them.

"So what you are saying is that Patrice is using her position as a medical professional, to charge you with abuse of your spouse."

"That is correct. She is citing patient abuse of my spouse."

"That's illegal."

"Well, then you need to tell the internal affairs office that, because they are trying to make an example out of me. Because of the seriousness of the allegations, IA is trying to prove that they take these kinds of cases serious, and they've suspended me from work. I am not allowed on hospital property, nor am I allowed to step foot into my own clinic inside of HPG to treat my patients who happen to all be HPG employees because the clinic is the HPG employee clinic that partners with the hospital to treat only HPG and Columbia University employees. I am suspended pending completion of their investigation where I need to be found innocent beyond a shadow of a doubt." Logan told them.

"So you are losing business because of the suspension."

"That is correct. I am on paid leave for the time being."

"Who pays your salary?" Ronald asked.

"Both HPG and Columbia University. They are splitting the difference which allows me to both work as a doctor, but also allows me to help Rory out with the business rather than having to be cooped up in the clinic at all times. I am free to see patients as needed, but also to take care of any work that needs to be done around the office whether it be working with the security team to implement new procedures, write and edit articles for one of our papers, or even attend board meetings which I've been doing with my Dad since I was ten years old. I'm an employee of both businesses.

"So essentially they are still paying half of your salary for you to be out on leave pending an end to this ridiculous investigation."

"That is correct."

"And because technically your clinic is on HPG property, technically you aren't allowed on HPG property."

"Well, technically, but you and I both know that they would have a really hard time fighting that one because my wife owns the property, and she would have to be the one to press trespassing charges."

"Just as your wife should also have to be the one to press abuse charges." Mitchell told him. "Technically you are allowed on HPG property as much as you want, and as long as you aren't treating patients inside of the office you share in a partnership with the hospital, you can still work. Does your medical license state that you can only practice medicine inside of the Columbia facility, or are you allowed to practice elsewhere?"

"Since finishing my residency, I am allowed to practice anywhere I want, in both the states of Connecticut and New York."

"So in other words you can treat patients out of your home, or Rory's office, as long as you aren't treating them inside the clinic that you share with the hospital."

"You are completely right." Logan agreed.

"So the internal affairs office launched an abuse investigation against you for the alleged abuse of your wife, and then manipulated you to get you out of your wife's hospital room during a stay for her high risk pregnancy, so they could send someone to question her without your knowledge?" Mitchell asked.

"That is correct."

"That's sneaky and wrong!"

"Yes it is!"

"So Paris walked into the Rory's room to see what was going on, and what happened from there?

"Oh, now this is where it gets comical." Collin commented. "Rory, why don't you take over."

"Logan and I had been up since 2:30 in the morning, after going to bed around 11, and then arrived at the hospital at 4. We were up until about 6 while I got blood draws, urine testing, IV fluids, ultrasounds, an EKG and a bunch of other stuff. We were asleep when Paris came in at 8, but Logan woke up. They didn't wake me until Paris was able to get my new medication started around 9:30. Within an hour of that, someone came in asking to speak with Logan privately. He tried to get them to just talk to him in my room, but they refused, so he made sure that I was ok, then stepped out into the hallway, telling me that he would be right back. 15-20 minutes later, this Annie chick comes into my room asking to speak to me about a patient abuse investigation where I was named a victim. I was super confused because I've been in the hospital for a couple injuries, and severe morning sickness, but everyone has always been super amazing to me. The staff always knows exactly who I am, and why I'm there, and they are always so sweet to me and go out of their way to take care of me. I've never once been treated anything other than amazing, and I told the woman that. So then she tells me that the investigation is patient abuse by one specific doctor, and when I ask who, she says my husband. Immediately I thought 'what the HELL is going on?!' So I asked her to give me a second, and I immediately called Collin. There was no way that I was going to be answering questions about anything without an attorney present, especially not about some bogus investigation into my husband. So Collin answers the phone, and I told him that I was in the hospital and it was an emergency and I needed him to get there right away."

"Did he come?" Gilbert asked.

"Of course I did! Rory doesn't call me for no reason. When my best friend's wife calls me telling me that there is an emergency, I drop everything to go take care of it. Especially when she tells me that she's in the hospital. I was just leaving my office to run an errand, so I jumped in the car and drove straight to the hospital." Collin told them.

"So I put Collin on speaker phone, making sure that the woman could hear him. Collin asked me what was going on and if I was ok and safe."

"What did you tell him?" Mitchell asked.

"I told him that I didn't know. I told him that I thought that I was ok and safe, but then this woman suddenly showed up, and I had no idea what was going on and what to do. Collin asked where Logan was, and I told him that I didn't know. That someone had asked to speak to him out in the hallway, and I hadn't seen him since. The lady then told me that she believed that Logan was in a meeting with the administrative team, which instantly worried me. Why was my husband in a meeting that neither of us knew anything about, and why was there suddenly some strange woman in my room, questioning me? Collin was on the road heading in my direction, but he told me to have Paris paged and told that I had an emergency and to get to my room, and then I sent her a text message too. I knew that Honor had an appointment with her, but I didn't know if Honor was still with her, or if she had already left the hospital. I didn't know what to do, so I just kept Collin on the phone, and did as he told me to. I hit my call button and asked the nurse to page Paris and tell her it was an emergency, then I sent a text to Paris, and one to Logan to tell him what was going on and that I needed him to get back there, and to see if he was ok and what was going on with him. I was scared and I was all alone except for having Collin on the phone."

"Which wasn't a good combination for a high risk pregnancy with already extremely high blood pressure." Gilbert commented.

"Exactly!"

"They could have caused Rory to have a heart attack, to go into premature labor, or a number of other things." Logan told them.

"Doctor Gellar, were you able to check Rory's monitor readings to see if they spiked during this time?" Mitchell asked.

"I did check, and they did significantly spike. Rory was clearly panicking. Her numbers dropped from the original spike a couple minutes after she got Collin on the phone, but they definitely shot up." Paris answered.

"Alright Rory, please continue." Gilbert told her.

"So I sent the text messages and I sat there with Collin trying to keep me calm, asking me questions while we waited for Paris to arrive. About 5 minutes after sending the text message, both Paris and Honor stormed into the room, which was a huge relief. Paris snapped at the woman, demanding to know what was going on, then left Honor with me, and stormed out to go find Logan. Honor immediately got into bed with me, and we sat talking to Collin, cracking jokes about how pissed Paris was, and how much hell she was going to raise when she found Logan, then how furious Logan was going to be, and how there were going to be epic explosive fireworks. We even asked Collin if he could bring us gummy bears, because gummy bears are a random funny joke in our circle of friends. Whenever there is drama, we need gummy bears to munch on while watching. It's just something that has become hilarious to us. So Collin tells us that he is almost to the hospital, but if he sees a vending machine that has gummy bears, he'll grab us some. The IA lade was just sitting there staring at Honor and I like we were completely crazy, laughing away over what a great show was being put on for us."

"Hey, perfect timing!" Logan said as Honor walked through the door with Rory's laptop.

"Sorry it took so long, we were trying to figure out what movie to watch, and get everyone situated with snacks." Honor told him.

"It's no problem at all Honey. Would you like to join us? Rory was just telling us about your comical morning in the hospital." Mitchum told her.

"Oh geez! That was definitely an eventful morning." Honor agreed, handing Rory her computer.

"So Honor and I were sitting in my bed cracking jokes when Collin finally got there, and tossed us gummy bears, which just made everything even funnier. So then the IA lady asks if we can get started with the interview, and Collin tells her that we could, but his other client has yet to arrive. He then tells me that I need to head into the bathroom with Honor to get changed out of the hospital gown that I was wearing, and put my regular clothes on, because I would be leaving. I reminded him that I had an IV in my arm, and couldn't do anything about it. So then Honor tells us that she knows how to turn the IV off after spending 5 years helping Logan study through medical school. Honor jumps out of the bed, grabs my IV line, turns the drip off, and then disconnects the line from the port in my arm. Part of me wanted to question her, but the other part of me knows Honor pretty well. She's one of my best friends, and I know that both her and Paris spent 5 years helping Logan through medical school, and I know that Logan used her as a pin cushion several times, while learning how to start an IV, so it doesn't really surprise me that Honor knows how to turn the drip off and disconnect the port from the line. She probably could have pulled the port from my arm too, had I asked her to."

"I'm sure I could have, it's not that hard. I'm pretty sure that I can successfully place an IV on my own too." Honor confirmed.

"So Honor disconnected me from the machine, I grabbed my things from where Logan had stashed them when we got there, and went into the bathroom to change with Honor. A couple minutes later Collin called for us to hurry up because the fireworks were coming. So Honor and I finished getting me changed as quickly as we could and got ourselves settled back on the bed about a minute before we heard Logan and Paris coming down the hallway. When Honor and I had gone into the bathroom, I guess Collin called for my discharge paperwork, because we heard a nurse say that some guy in my room had requested it a few minutes prior, when Paris demanded it from the nurse. Honor and I were sitting there giggling like idiots because we knew exactly the storm that was coming, and we knew that Logan and Paris wouldn't dare disappoint, which actually was slightly disappointing because there really wasn't any yelling. They were actually incredibly calm about the whole thing. They came storming into the room, and Paris told Logan to pull my IV and that we were leaving, and for Honor to go with us. She told Logan not to say a single word, just to get me out of there. Paris had me sign the discharge paperwork, and told me exactly what to write. So then two security guards show up at the door, and Paris tells them to escort us to the car, and make sure we get off the property safely, and she sends us on our way." Rory explained.

"Doctor Gellar, what happened when the Huntzbergers left?" Gilbert asked.

"I confirmed with Collin that he would be handling everything, and immediately get a lawsuit filed, then told him to head out, and that I would meet him at his office with all of Rory's medical paperwork. I had given Logan instructions to keep his mouth shut, and to take his wife and sister, and to go straight home and wait for further instructions from me and Collin. So Collin left and then I turned to the idiot from IA and told her that we were going to take a little walk downstairs to have a chat with the chief of staff about the little stunt that she pulled. We went downstairs and Doctor Schultz who knew the exact details of Rory's high risk pregnancy due to our earlier conversation, was pretty pissed. He knew all the risks associated with Rory's pregnancy, and exactly all of the things that could have gone wrong because of this careless woman's sudden interrogation. So we had a chat, and Doctor Schultz agreed that the entire investigation is bogus and unnecessary because there isn't a single ounce of evidence, and that little miss high and mighty Patrice was abusing her power as a medical professional to even suggest such a ridiculous thing. But of course the crazy IA woman decided to insist on continuing her bogus investigation because she says that those types of accusations are serious, and the hospital is forced to hold themselves to the highest of standards, and what kind of example of excellence would they be if they ignored abuse claims against one of their doctors, so they must undergo a thorough investigation to make sure that no patient is harmed, and that they would be doing the same thing had it been any employee, and that they weren't going to ignore it just because it's Logan, who everyone likes. They have to investigate all cases and not pick and choose who to investigate just because one person is liked more than someone else. Which in a way makes sense, but at the same time is completely ridiculous! They are only investigating Logan because Patrice complained to IA and her and the IA woman are friends or something. So now they are digging over a decade into Logan and Rory's past, claiming that they are trying to prove that Logan is innocent in all abuse allegations, beyond a shadow of a doubt. The fact that the entire hospital board has a close personal relationship with both Rory and Logan means absolutely nothing to them. So Collin and I spent all afternoon yesterday, scrolling through 13 years of Facebook posts from all of our family, friends and people that we went to school with at Yale, taking screenshots of everything we could possibly find that showed Rory and Logan's close relationship, and that there has never been any instances of abuse."

"Did you get a lawsuit filed?" Ronald asked.

"We have one ready to go, but decided to wait until we met with you guys today before filing it, because Mitchum thought that you guys would have some additional thoughts on the situation." Collin answered.

"Alright . . . So Logan, do you have any additional thoughts on the situation?" Mitchell asked.

"I do. I am worried for my business and my reputation. I have a brand new business that is only a month old, and now I am being accused of abuse. Obviously the entire hospital is now going to know about what is going on, so there goes my reputation. And what happens when the media gets wind of this whole thing. Because of who we are, the media loves digging into our personal lives. Rory and I were stalked for weeks when she took over HPG, we got engaged and married. It all happened within a matter of a few days, but we were stalked for weeks. Then then we just got stalked again when the clinic opened and Dad suddenly announced his retirement, officially passing full control of HPG to Rory. Plus, the media found out about the pregnancy. We only told people that the baby is due in early summer, and we've insisted on keeping all pregnancy details to ourselves, and asked our families and close friends to do the same, so we are still getting hounded for that. What happens when word of the investigation gets out? My wife has an extremely high risk pregnancy, and she'll be stalked for months because of rumors of a rift in our marriage. And it's not even like Rory and I can go out in public and shove a show of PDA down people's throats because she's on bed rest. Plus, subjecting Rory to all of that stress, just adds more risks to both her and our daughter. This is just a load of crap that we really don't need to be dealing with right now. This stupid bullshit investigation could completely ruin the entire life and career that I've worked so hard to build for myself."

"Rory, what are your thoughts?" Mitchell asked.

"I need Patrice's last name. I'm a reporter, and if those two witches want to play ball, then let's play ball! They can go right ahead and dig into our relationship all they want, because I am going to go digging into their lives as well. I will uncover every single gruesome skeleton that those two have hidden, and I will splash their drama all over the front page of every single newspaper that I own, if that is what it takes to clear my husband's name. I own over half of the newspapers in this country, and a ton more overseas. It won't cost me a single cent to decimate both of them."

"And this is why Dad gave HPG to Rory. Because she is just exactly as ruthless as he is!" Honor said proudly.

"Honor makes a good point." Mitchum agreed.

"I'm going full Emily Gilmore on those two. They have no idea who they are dealing with!"

"That's right, you're a Gilmore." Ronald chuckled.

"You're damn right I am!" Rory told him. "I'm a Gilmore and I learned how to destroy people from my Grandmother. You go for the jugular, and you keep on chomping."

"Your grandmother definitely has some bite." Mitchell told her.

"Yeah she does." Logan agreed. "Rory is also a Hayden. She got all the best traits from all of her Grandparents as well as from her mother. She knows how to both charm and destroy without even breaking a sweat."

"You're a Hayden too?" Gilbert asked.

"I am." Rory confirmed proudly.

"Mitchum, you realize that Rory alone has a larger fortune than anyone in your family, right?" Ronald asked.

"I've been made aware of the situation, yes." Mitchum confirmed.

"Wow! Rory, are you aware of how frighteningly rich and powerful you are?" Mitchell asked her.

"The real question is, are YOU aware?" Rory asked in return.

"Damn Logan! Your wife could decimate your family without even trying." Gilbert chuckled.

"Yes she could!" Logan agreed proudly, ruffling Rory's hair with his free hand. "My wife is amazing. I am very lucky!"


	71. Chapter 71

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

So they're saying that new evidence is showing that it is airborne. This is so scary serious! Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask.

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I have been cracking up reading them lately. Thank you so much! You guys really keep me going. I really look forward to reading every single one of them. I've even responded to a few, so check your messages!

* * *

"Logan, how long have you been married now?" Mitchell asked as the family sat in Mitchum's office discussing Logan's current predicament.

"Five months." Logan answered confidently.

"But you've been with Rory for years as I recall. You dated in college didn't you?"

"We did, for 3 years."

"How long have you been together total?"

"That is a complicated answer. It depends on how you look at things."

"What does that mean?" Gilbert asked.

"Rory and I went our separate ways after college. I moved to California for work, and Rory got a job working on Barack Obama's Presidential Campaign."

"No kidding? So Rory has quite the credentials then." Ronald commented.

"Rory's resume is outstanding!" Mitchum proudly shared.

"So you broke up after college, and how long were you apart?" Mitchell asked.

"Eight and a half years." Logan answered.

"So you've been together again for how long now?"

"About 6 months."

"Wait a minute . . ." Ronald started. "You've been together for 'about 6 months' and married for 5 of them?"

"That's right." Logan confirmed.

"Mitchum, you allowed this?" Gilbert asked, completely baffled by the whole situation.

"Would you like to hear something even scarier?" Mitchum asked his friends.

"What's that?" Gilbert questioned.

"There's no prenup."

"Logan did WHAT!?" Ronald suddenly exploded, causing Mitchum to chuckle.

"I don't believe in prenups." Logan said as he casually shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I guess the good news about that one is that if their union doesn't work out, that leaves Logan entitled to exactly half of the Gilmore and Hayden fortunes. Meaning that Mitchum's little family has just moved up in the world." Mitchell told them.

"Honor doesn't have one either, and she married a Rothschild." Logan added.

"Mitchum, what the hell is wrong with your children?! You clearly didn't raise them properly to allow such a hefty mistake to happen!" Ronald told him.

"As I recall, Honor did have a prenuptial agreement. We wrote it, gentlemen." Gilbert recalled.

"And I burned it." Logan told them as Honor stood smiling next to him.

"Well, again that means that should your children's marriages go south, your children are entitled to half of their spouse's fortune." Mitchell told them.

"My children have both done very well for themselves. I am very proud of them." Mitchum proudly stated.

"Well considering the financial ramifications of not having a prenuptial agreement, I guess you would be proud." Ronald commented

"Now come on gentlemen, money has nothing to do with it. Unlike us, my children both married for love. They are both very happy. Now, can we proceed?"

"So Logan, you dated your wife for 3 years in college before separating, and then got married a month into your renewed relationship?" Mitchell asked.

"Two weeks." Rory answered.

"Two weeks what?" Gilbert asked.

"We were married after two weeks."

"Really Mitchum?" Mitchell asked, causing Mitchum to just shrug.

"I asked her to marry me 9 years ago." Logan told them. "This marriage wasn't a surprise to anyone."

"Collin, you've been Logan's personal attorney for how long?" Ronald asked.

"Since I passed the bar about 5 years ago." Collin answered.

"Did you advise him on this?"

"I was with him when he bought the ring." Collin shrugged.

"Which ring?" Ronald asked.

"There is only one ring." Logan told them.

"You used the same ring?"

"I bought it for her. Is there a point to this? Why are we questioning my marriage?"

"Because that is exactly what the internal affairs office is going to do." Collin explained. "You are going to need to get used to this. It's tedious, but unfortunately, necessary. I know you, and I know Rory. I could answer all of these questions in my sleep. But you two need to be prepared to go under the microscope in order for us to fight this thing."

"Fine. Continue." Logan sighed.

"Rory, how far along in your pregnancy are you?" Mitchell asked.

"24 weeks." Rory answered.

"Hold on!" Ronald told them.

"Don't do the math." Logan said with a roll of his eyes.

"Mitchum, are you for real right now?!" Ronald asked, turning to his friend. "Were you aware of this?!"

"Not even Rory and Logan were aware of the pregnancy until they were already 8 weeks in." Paris chimed in. "There is no possible way to know that early. Rory got pregnant on their first night together. Get over it! We all have!"

"Thank you Paris." Logan told her.

"This isn't 1962. Nothing that Rory and Logan do should surprise anyone in this room. Rory and Logan have always had a freakishly close relationship. They are always together, always touching. This whole sitting on his lap thing that they're doing, this isn't new. They do this all the time. They do this at work too. Rory and Logan shared an apartment together at Yale. Even when Rory lived with me, Logan was still always there. If they weren't in class, or at work, Rory and Logan were together. These two were made for each other. They are that nauseating couple that is completely, hopelessly, miserable when they're apart. When they were broken up, Collin and Honor can both tell you exactly how miserable they were. Or at least how miserable and pathetic Logan was. Logan practically drank himself to death. And Rory just completely shut down. She worked, worked, and then worked some more. You were lucky to be able to get Rory on the phone, and even then you couldn't really have a coherent conversation with her. I called her to tell her that Logan had come to me to ask for advice about going to medical school. Rory doesn't even remember it. I told her I was helping Logan study while in school. She didn't care. I asked her about maybe having Logan in my wedding. Rory has no recollection. She was so far in denial that Logan wasn't even a blip on her radar. Rory was my maid of Honor in my wedding, and is the godmother to my children. But other than forcing her to take time off work for those events, I never saw Rory, or even talked to her unless I showed up in her office to force her to take a break. Rory and her mother are best friends. They are super close. But even Lorelai didn't see Rory except for holidays, unless she showed up to force Rory to stop for a breather. And Logan, all he did was drink and study. Party animal Logan who was always on the go back at Yale, and was the life of EVERY party, no longer went out. He lived in Honor's basement, and he only left to go to school."

"When Logan lived with me, he went to school, worked out, studied and drank. And he only worked out because I made him get up out of bed and actually do something. His patheticness was depressing and annoyed me." Honor added. "Logan didn't go to parties, or go out on dates. Even when Collin and I tried to get him to go out, or encouraged him to try dating or something, Logan refused. He had no interest. We all knew what was going on. Logan and Rory had been together long enough that we all saw exactly how heartbroken they both were when they split up. And it was my brother's moronic doing. He's the one who gave her the all or nothing ultimatum, and walked away. Logan asked Rory to marry him, and when Rory said not right now, Logan bailed. And he regretted it every single day. So when Paris and I got the phone call that Rory and Logan had finally run into each other 6 months ago, it wasn't an 'oh really', it was an 'it's about damn time'! Logan loves Rory. He's always loved Rory. All of us love Rory. It's really hard not to. So their relationship isn't a surprise to anyone who knows them. Rory's mom even told Logan the day that they ran into each other, that she expected them to end up married. Some of us were a little surprised by how fast they got married, but then again, it was 12 years in the making, so it really wasn't surprising at all."

"Rory and Logan should have been married before Paris and I were." Collin added. "We all expected their wedding to be the first of our group, rather than the last. Now, thinking back on everything, Paris and I probably should have ganged up together and forced them back together 8 years ago. I'm not even sure why we didn't."

"Because we didn't want to be stuck in the middle." Paris told him.

"Yeah, well, maybe we should have."

"Coulda woulda shoulda." Honor commented. "The point of all of this is yes, Logan and Rory's marriage happened really fast. But it was also 12 years in the making, so nothing about them is at all surprising. It really sucks that they are even being questioned because clearly, my brother would never dream of doing anything to cause his wife any pain. And if somehow he was abusive, do you really think that he would wait 12 years to show his true colors? Don't you think that the abuse would have come out during the first year they were together? Why would Logan wait until now? What's in it for him at this point?

"Logan has always done what Logan feels is best for Logan. I haven't always agreed with him, or supported his stupider decisions, but Logan's marriage is something that I wouldn't dare interfere in. I like Rory. She is the only person in this family with the spine to stand up to me when I'm being unreasonable. Rory isn't afraid of me the way that most people are. She called me, just to yell at me when Logan and Rory were at Yale. She's put me in my place, more than once. And if Rory won't take crap from someone like me, then what the hell makes anyone think that she is willing to take crap from my son either?!" Mitchum spoke up.

"Rory yelled at you, Mitchum?" Ronald asked, completely surprised.

"On more than one occasion."

"I think it was only twice." Rory chuckled.

"And you allowed that?!"

"Rory had good reason. I was being an ass!"

"Like father like son." Honor commented.

"Can we be done digging up the past now, and focus on trying to save my business please?" Logan asked.

"The reality of the situation is pretty simple really." Gilbert spoke up. "Rory is a billionaire! Plain and simple. Let's just accept it for what it is. Rory has more money than God, and she could buy and sell all of us without even batting an eyelash. Logan's net worth is pretty inconsequential compared to Rory's. In what world would someone like Rory allow anyone to abuse her in any way? What reason would Rory have to be in an abusive relationship? She doesn't need somewhere to live because she has a ton of money. She doesn't need a car, or child support, shelter, or food. There is literally no reason for Rory to stay if she was being abused. Rory doesn't need Logan. Rory doesn't need any of us. If Rory wasn't happy in her marriage, she could literally take her ball and go home. Rory could kick Logan out at the drop of a hat, and not even lose any of her family's money over it, because abuse is a valid reason for a divorce that trumps all pay outs. If Logan were abusing Rory, she could kick him out and leave him completely destitute."

"That's a good point." Mitchum agreed.

"Gilbert is right. You would think that the financial aspects of the relationship would be reason enough to prove that Rory isn't being abused. So the next question is why is Logan being investigated. What's in it for everyone else? The hospital is losing a great doctor. One who is obviously talented, liked, and respected. But why? Good doctors are hard to come by. The only reason that I can think of, that would make sense for someone like Logan to be thrown under the microscope, is to cover something else up. So the question is, what is being covered up?" Ronald asked.

"Which brings us to the topic of the two people behind the investigation; the internal affairs woman, and the physician's assistant." Mitchell concluded. "Why are they attacking Logan? What is in it for them? Have they done this before?"

"Well, my suggestion is that we issue a cease and desist letter. We demand that those two women back off of Logan, and the investigation dropped, allowing Logan to immediately go back to work. And like one of you said earlier, Logan is legally allowed to practice medicine anywhere he wants to within the states of New York and Connecticut. So even if they want to keep up the position of Logan not being allowed on Columbia property, Logan is still allowed on HPG property, which his wife owns. Meaning that Logan can go back to treating patients in any room in the HPG building other than the partner clinic with Columbia. He can treat them in the storage closet in the lobby outside his office if he wants to. So this entire thing with Logan being unable to work, is a load of crap. And even if Columbia decided that they don't want to continue to pay his salary, Logan is still a HPG employee. If Rory chooses to allow Logan to practice medicine in her office, and she chooses to keep paying his salary, that is Rory's decision to make. The hospital can ask Rory to stop, but Rory has every right to tell them to go to hell. Logan can keep paper files for his patients until he is allowed back into his office and regains access to the hospital computer system. Logan could even buy a medical patient software program to use while he's out of the office, that way he still has digital logs. He can write paper prescriptions for his patients. All he really needs is letterhead with his name and medical license number on it. That would take a whole 5 minutes for us to create on the computer. Logan could go back to work right now. As long as he isn't setting foot onto Columbia property, or using Columbia's computer system, there is no one stopping Logan from treating his patients. He can still refer them to Columbia physicians should he choose to, and send them to Columbia's ER if need be. All of that is entirely Logan's decision. They legally can't stop him from practicing medicine."

"I actually agree with Collin. As much as I am enjoying all of you being here, I do agree that Logan should get back to work." Mitchum agreed.

"What I propose is this. We set a meeting with the hospital board this afternoon, and present our demands. We let them know that come 8am tomorrow, either Logan is fully reinstated, or he will be seeing his patients outside of the partner office. We are also filing harassment, defamation, and discrimination lawsuit against both of the women initiating this entire ridiculous investigation, and also have a no contact order issued. We demand their termination from the university system, and insist on an investigation into both of their employment histories. We also sue for potential injuries to both Rory and the baby. We have all of Rory's medical expenses fully covered." Ronald began.

"You realize that they are going to try to come back and say that there is no evidence of any hardship when it comes to Rory and Logan being able to afford Rory's medical expenses." Collin commented.

"That is completely irrelevant. They caused Rory to have significant psychological injuries due to her underlying condition, and there is no way for any of us to assess what kind of damage this has all done to her unborn baby. The stress of this whole situation and resulting lawsuit greatly effects the level of stress that Rory is under and further complicates her ability to get the proper amount of rest that she needs in order to safely maintain this very high risk pregnancy. Because of the additional stress, Rory is having to be hooked up to what I am sure are very expensive echo cardio monitors, for the duration of her pregnancy, and undergo many more tests and months of additional monitoring that might not have been necessary had Rory not felt threatened and harassed by the internal affairs woman, while inpatient at Columbia's hospital. Rory no longer feels safe and requires extra security and medical assistance throughout her day. And because of Rory's social and career standing, Rory is a public figure, and the potential damages to both her and Logan's reputations are quite significant and require a full-time security team to be at their disposal at all times, who's salary is to be fully funded by the hospital from now through at least the first six months of the baby's life. We also demand full possession of the clinic office, and everything in it. We dissolve the partnership, but maintain the rights to all of the supplies and equipment. The only thing the hospital gets is the patient files already in their computer system. Everything else becomes the sole property of HPG. Every single little thing in that office is property of HPG; furniture, medical equipment, machines, computers, all of it. We also go after them for attorney and legal fees."

"While I completely agree with you guys that this is a really good plan, I think that some of it is kind of a reach." Paris told them.

"It doesn't matter, because there is no possible way that they are going to go for most of it anyway. You said yourself that the hospital board doesn't agree with this investigation at all, and they are completely on Logan's side. The entire point of all of this is that we throw all of these completely unreasonable demands at them, and then we offer to settle for simply the immediate termination of both the PA and internal affairs woman, an investigation into both of their employment histories, with the possibility of criminal charges being filed in the future, and the promise that Logan is immediately reinstated with all allegations against him not only dropped, but completely erased from all records. It will be as if none of this ever happened. Rory and Logan's lives can go back to normal, just as they were at 3:59 this morning. However, even after Logan is reinstated, we still privately go after both the IA woman and PA for harassment, defamation, discrimination, and whatever else we decide is fair to charge them with, as well as all of Rory's medical expenses incurred during this pregnancy. We dig up every single skeleton that we possibly can, and we help Rory completely destroy them. If they can make up ridiculous allegations to go after Logan, we can use completely honest and legitimate allegations to destroy them. And I can promise you that the PA's malpractice insurance won't pay a single cent for her defense in all of this. She will lose her medical license, and be forced to find a new career elsewhere."

"I like it!" Rory told them.

"Collin, let's get the paperwork drawn up, and get a meeting set with the hospital this afternoon. We will need to get on the road since it's a long drive."

"We have a helicopter." Mitchum told them.

"That's a good point." Gilbert agreed.

"Logan will be joining us for the meeting via video link. I don't want Rory traveling right now." Paris told them. "Rory is ok in a car, but I won't put her on the road until I know the outcome of this meeting. I will stay here in Hartford with them. You attorneys can go to New York to deal with the hospital. After everything is taken care of, I will clear Rory for travel home."

"I agree with Paris." Collin told them. "We need to be sure that we are doing exactly what is in Rory's and the baby's best interest."

"Are we done here? Because it would really benefit Rory to be in bed resting rather than sitting here stressing out over all of this drama." Paris told them.

"Yes, Paris go ahead and take Rory upstairs and get her settled. I'll come up if I need anything." Collin told her.

"I'm going too." Logan told him.

"That's fine."

"Mitchell, Ronald, Gilbert, thank you for coming and taking this nightmare on. We'll be upstairs." Logan said as he gently moved his wife's legs, and helped Paris help Rory out of the chair, before getting up himself.

"I'll take care of everything down here." Mitchum said as Logan stepped past him.

"Thanks Dad. For everything."

"Don't mention it. Go take care of your wife."

"Hey Paris, what time do your kids take naps?" Honor asked.

"Usually around noon, but they were up pretty early today, so I would be ok with putting them down earlier if they need it."

"Lorelai is bringing over lunch from the Inn. I actually need to call her about the extra people, so I'll let her know that you and the kids are here."

"They will love seeing her! My kids love Nana Lorelai!"

"I'm going to go call her right now. The kids are in the tv room with Josh, Finn and Blake."

"That's fine. I'll be upstairs with Rory if you guys need me.

_***~ * ~ * ~ * 12:30pm * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Party in Rory's room!" Lorelai said as she walked into Logan's bedroom carrying a box of food to see Rory sitting in bed with Logan next to her, typing away on her computer.

"Hey Mom!"

"Hey, I have your lunch. Where would you like it?"

"Uh, in my belly?"

"Oh, you funny funny girl! Logan, get rid of that computer. I'm sure you should probably be sleeping right now."

"Probably, but I can't. I'm busy causing trouble."

"Oh, I like trouble! What kind of trouble are we causing? Trouble is fun!"

"Mitchum's lawyers are here."

"I saw that. There is quite the party going on downstairs. I hear that Paris' kids are here too."

"They're probably still in the TV room.

"Paris said she would bring them upstairs to say hi after they finish eating. Sookie made your favorites. We didn't know what you would be in the mood for, so she made you everything." Lorelai told them as she handed Logan and Rory some takeout containers.

"Score!" Rory smiled, opening a couple of boxes to find all of her favorite foods.

"Keep opening boxes, there's more. I figured you guys could share."

"Give me!" Rory said, reaching to take a box from her husband.

"Collin and Finn are here too." Logan told her.

"Collin I'm not surprised by since he's your lawyer, but why is Finn here?"

"Collin said he didn't want to do the long boring drive alone."

"Oh, well I can understand that."

"Mom, have you seen all of this?! Taquitos, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, lasagna, tiny sandwiches, jalapeno poppers, quiche, pigs in a blanket, egg rolls, pasta salad, potato salad, jello salad, macaroni salad, garden salad, stuffing, funeral potatoes, and are those mini burritos?"

"They are. And the mini sandwiches are turkey, ham, club, and BLT with avocado."

"There is enough food here to fed an army! Logan and I can't possibly eat all of this!"

"And there is plenty more downstairs. Even with all of the extra people, I'm sure there will be plenty of food left."

"Please tell Sookie that I said thank you so much! You guys didn't have to do all of this for me."

"Don't be ridiculous, yes we did."

"Seriously Mom. Thank you!"

"It was our pleasure! Did the lawyers get a game plan together?" Lorelai asked, taking a seat at the foot of the bed.

"They did. They are getting all the paperwork written up right now, and sending it over to the hospital before our meeting this afternoon."

"You have to go back for a meeting?"

"Just the lawyers are going. Dad is having the chopper take them rather than waste time driving there and back."

"Fancy schmancy."

"We are basically throwing all of our darts at the wall, and then offering to settle for our old lives and the loss of a couple jobs."

"I guess that's a good plan? But what are these darts that are being thrown?"

"Basically rather than having to dig through the last thirteen years of our lives, it's now come down to Rory's net worth."

"Explain?"

"Because Rory is both a Gilmore and Hayden, she has a ton of money. We all already knew that. But then when you add in being named the CEO of HPG, Rory's net worth just skyrocketed. Rory is basically a billionaire."

"A billionaire? Really?" Lorelai asked skeptically.

"Would you like to google it? Because Rory didn't believe it either." Logan told her.

"But Rory doesn't have control of any of her inheritance. Well, I guess technically she's got access to some money from my grandmother, but unless my parents die, and then Christopher and Francine die, Rory doesn't have a ton of family money."

"But she's still considered the family heiress for both of your families. There is a financial firm in New York city that figures the numbers. They take the combined estimated net worth of each of the societal families and combines it with the current investments and paycheck potential, as well as the gross income from the person's tax returns the prior year, and they figure out the net worth."

"Tax returns aren't public record though."

"But corporate returns are."

"Geez!"

"So they take Rory and average what they assume the net worth is for both the Gilmore and Hayden families, and then they add in the current net worth for HPG and what they assume Rory is pulling in for a paycheck, and you get several billion dollars."

"That's insane!"

"You're telling me! Apparently my wife is worth billions while I'm only worth a few hundred thousand."

"But you forget that New York is a community property state, so whatever Rory is worth, technically half of it is yours."

"This is true." Logan chuckled. "So anyway, the attorneys are using the defense of why would someone with as much money as Rory, bother to waste their time being in an abusive relationship. Rory is worth so much more than I am and doesn't need anything from me. She doesn't need shelter, food, child support, health insurance, a vehicle, nothing. There is nothing that I can provide for Rory that she can't easily get for herself without it having the slightest effect on her bank account. Rory doesn't need me, so if I was abusive toward her, what would keep her from leaving? Even without a prenuptial agreement, spousal abuse amounts to the abuser forfeiting any kind of settlement in divorce proceedings. So if I was abusing Rory, she could walk away leaving me completely destitute, and I could end up owing her money. There is no reason for her to stay in a relationship that she isn't happy in."

"That is their big defense?"

"Pretty much! It's much easier to prove than having to dig 12 years into the past."

"I guess I can see that."

"So then we are also throwing in a possible dissolution of the clinic partnership, damages to Rory's psyche, medical treatment, potential damages to both her and the baby from the stress of everything, harassment, defamation, blah blah blah . . . We are going after the hospital for everything the lawyers can come up with. If we were to actually sue them, which won't happen, because they'll settle right away to shut us up and keep this entire thing quiet, which is exactly what we want, but IF we were going to sue, Rory would be a multibillionaire and own Columbia University. Rather than just having her name on a building at Yale, she would literally have her own university."

"The University of Rory!"

"Exactly!"

"Geez, not the building thing again! That is so embarrassing!" Rory groaned. "I hate that Grandma and Grandpa did that!"

"What, you don't want to own the University of Rory?" Lorelai asked.

"NO!"

"Well we can change the name up a bit. Maybe make it Rory University. Or the University of Lorelai Leigh. Maybe the Rory Gilmore Huntzberger Newspaper Mogul University."

"You suck!" Rory told her.

"So anyway, that's what they are doing downstairs. They are getting all the legal threats in writing, then flying out to meet with the hospital and throw all of our threats in their faces then offer to settle with just the two witches being terminated and my being reinstated. I'll be able to go back to work tomorrow at 8am." Logan explained.

"Awwwwww! I'm going to miss having you guys nearby! It's so much easier to drive 30 minutes into Hartford when I want to see you, verses two hours to the city! Why do you have to leave so soon?"

"Because we have jobs, Mother." Rory said blatantly.

"But that makes me so sad! I'm actually enjoying having you guys here. You rarely come visit us."

"We thought about invading your house yesterday, but then didn't want to bring the media with us in case shit hit the fan." Logan told her. "It's easier to hide out here than it is in your tiny town. We didn't want to cause any trouble for you."

"You guys know that I don't care about any of that. You can come home any time you want. You don't even need to ask. You just come home. Rory has a key for a reason."

"Mom, I want to come home more, I really do. But it's just hard with work. Logan and I are so busy."

"I know you are Honey. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, or anything, I'm really not. I'm just saying that if you need a break, or you want to come home, just come home. Get in your car, or jump in the helicopter and come home. I'll never not be happy to see you."

"I'll try to come more after the baby is born. I promise!"

"I'll hold you to that. But you at least aren't so far away that I can't come see you all the time."

"I know, but I feel like we've hardly seen you lately. Until last night, we hadn't seen you in a month, and that just sucks!"

"Yeah it does!" Lorelai agreed. "I'll tell you what. Until Ayribella is able to travel to the Hollow, I'll come up to visit you guys at least every other weekend, ok? I would say every weekend, but I need to be able to work too. But I'll promise at least every other weekend until the baby is born, because let's be realistic, I'll probably be with you for the entire first month of Ayribella's life."

"Don't make me a promise that you can't keep, Mother! Because you know that I'll hold you to that!" Rory told her.

"I know you will Honey. What I'm saying is that I am going to do my best to come see you guys more, and then when Ayribella is born, I'll be there all the time until she is able to travel to visit me."

"That sounds really nice. I miss you Mom."

"I miss you too Sweetie!" Lorelai said pulling her daughter into her arms. "I guess you guys will be heading back to the city later today, right?"

"Most likely. We are staying until a deal is made with the hospital, and Paris said she'll clear me for travel home after that.

"I'll be sad to see you go, but I understand. I was thinking earlier, that if you guys were going to be in town for a while, maybe we should do dinner with your grandparents. We haven't had a family dinner over there since Thanksgiving."

"Maybe we can do one tonight? I mean, I'm not really in a rush to get back. Would that be ok with you Logan?"

"Sure. I'm down for dinner with Richard and Emily. We'll send Honor back to the city with everyone else, and we'll borrow one of dad's cars and drive up after dinner." Logan agreed.

"Are you sure?" Lorelai asked. "It's not a big deal, I haven't told them that you're here."

"No mom, please, call Grandma. We are happy to see them while we're here. Maybe we can head over there once we are done with the hospital meeting. I can just as easily lounge around Grandma's house, as I can here. In fact, I'll call Grandma myself. Babe, hand me one of the phones." Rory said as she shoved a bite of food in her mouth. "The only problem I see us having, is not being hungry after we finish off all of this food."

"What can I say, Sookie loves you!"

"Lorelai, please make sure that my Dad gives you a check for all of this food before you leave." Logan told her.

"He already did. I told him it wasn't necessary, but he insisted."

"It IS necessary! You guys do a lot of us, and you shouldn't have to feed all of our friends for free."

"It's really not a big deal Logan. We are happy to do it."

"Hey Grandma, it's Rory. Logan and I are in Hartford, can we come over a little later? Maybe have dinner together? I'm on bed rest, which is a really long story, but I want to see you while we're here."

_***~ * ~ * ~ * 3:30pm * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Now that's just adorable!" Paris said as she walked into Logan's bedroom to see Rory curled up in bed, sound asleep with the twins using her as a pillow.

"Shhhhh!" Logan hushed them from across the room.

"How long have they been asleep?"

"About an hour and a half. I thought about moving the twins to another room, but I didn't want to disturb them.

"Unfortunately, we are going to have to. Collin and your Dad's lawyers just landed at HPG a few minutes ago, and are on their way to the hospital."

"Is Doyle going to come back with them?"

"Yeah, he's not thrilled about having dinner with my mother, but it'll give the twins time with Daddy tonight."

"Hey, that's important quality time." Logan told her. "Those kids deserve every second that they can get."

"We need to get them up and settled downstairs with Honor, so we can take care of this meeting."

"Alright, let's wake everyone up." Logan agreed, getting out of his chair, and moving across the room to the bed, gently shaking his wife. "Hey Ace, time to wake up."

"Hi my babies, time to wake up." Paris said gently rubbing her kids backs, and kissing their heads. "It's time to go downstairs and play some more before we have to go see Grandma. Do you want to go play with Rocky and Auntie Honor some more? Maybe Uncle Finn will give you another piggy back ride?"

"Finn is giving piggy back rides?" Logan asked.

"Finn had a pillow fight with them. He's surprisingly good with kids!" Paris told him. "I never thought I would ever see the day!

"That's because Finn IS a kid!" Rory told her. "Finn is great with kids because Finn never grew up!"

"I agree with Rory."

"Mommy, I'm hungry." Catherine said as she sat up next to Rory.

"Well let's get you guys downstairs then, and get ourselves a snack."

"Can we have cookies?"

"Sure, I'm sure we can find you two a couple of cookies. And maybe some carrot sticks and celery with peanut butter."

"Do we have to eat vegetables?" Bradley asked.

"You guys love vegetables! Come on. Let's go eat two carrot sticks and two celery sticks with peanut butter, and then I'll have Auntie Honor give you both a cookie. How's that?"

"What about Uncle Finn? Does he have to eat vegetables too?"

"Of course he does! Why don't we go share with him."

"Good luck! The only vegetable Finn eats is potato. In liquid form."

"Vavoom!" Rory echoed.

"Zip your lip!" Paris said as her kids climbed out of the bed. "Come on you guys. Let's head downstairs."


	72. Chapter 72

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

Just a few notes:

Yes, packing is going great! We STILL don't have a move date, so literally nothing is being done. We have zero boxes. I've literally done NOTHING! We know that we are moving, but we are basically living as though we aren't, until the moving truck is loaded and the kids have been withdrawn from school.

Today has been kind of tough. With everything going on lately, I am having to make the very extremely difficult decision as to what to do with my children about school next year. I got a call today that my youngest was accepted into pre-k. However, while our state is providing online schooling for everyone this year, should the parents choose to do so, our local school district isn't providing that option for pre-k. My older child can do online schooling, but should we choose to accept the pre-k spot for our youngest, we will have to physically take our child to school every day. I was told that the school will require masks in order to enter the building, but after that, they have no idea. It's completely ridiculous, because you either wear the mask, or you don't. Wearing it to walk in the door, then taking it off entirely defeats the whole reason for wearing the mask. Also, the school district has made ZERO other plans for the safety of the children. I just can't in good conscience send my kids to school like that. Plus, I'm an autism mom. I have two kids with very different special needs. Different from even each other. This is pretty much the absolute hardest decision that I've ever had to make. And on top of everything, I feel completely alone in it. My husband says that he fully supports whatever I decide to do, but I just don't know which decision is best. I feel like I am hurting my kids, no matter what I decide. And I can't even turn to the people I usually go to for parenting advice because this entire situation has been entirely politicized, and there is so much hatred and resentment on all sides of the conversation, and I just can't have a logical conversation with the people I normally turn to. This is so freaking hard! I was able to talk to my Grandma though, so my decision is made thanks to her. I haven't talked to her in months, and I miss her so much! There is nothing like having a Grandma. Grandmas are completely amazing people, and I am so lucky to have mine! I am going to try to make a point of calling her more often. She's about 90, but she's one of the best people I know. I texted her not knowing which side of the fence she was on, and my Grandma completely delivered and said everything that I needed to hear. I am so lucky to have her!

So anyway, that's my nightmare lately. LOL This was a really HUGE chapter for me to write, and I think that I completely knocked it out of the park! I can't wait to read all of your reactions to it. I actually sent my BFF who is my beta reader, about 3/4 of the chapter while I was still writing, just because I was so excited about it. So here you all go. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please, leave me a message with your thoughts. I absolutely love reading them! Writing is my escape from reality.

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy.

Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I have been cracking up reading them lately. Thank you so much! You guys really keep me going. I really look forward to reading every single one of them. I've even responded to a few, so check your messages!

* * *

**Tuesday March 7, 2017**

**4:00pm**

**Columbia Presbyterian Hospital**

**Board Room**

"Due to the circumstances, my clients are unable to join us in person today." Collin said as he set up his laptop.

"No, that is totally ok. How is Mrs. Huntzberger doing?" Doctor Schultz asked.

"She is alright at the moment. She is in bed, with her doctor at her side. Doctor Gellar has both Rory and the baby hooked up to monitors, and Rory is being waited on hand and foot by the entire family. Logan's Dad, Sister and brother in-law are both there, along with Mitchum's nurse, Rory's parents have been coming and going, they've got a friend there, and Doctor Gellar's twins even came over with presents. Rory has a lot of support. We are just trying to keep her comfortable and happy." Collin said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and punched a few buttons. "Hey Logan, you ready? Yeah, I've got it all linked up. Just click on the video chat. Alright, it's connecting."

"And there he is! Doctor Huntzberger, Mrs. Huntzberger, it's nice to see you. How are you guys doing?" Doctor Schultz asked.

"I guess as good as can be expected under the circumstances." Logan answered.

"Alright, should we get started?" Collin asked.

"Yes please." Rory answered.

"Alright, so we sent over our paperwork a few hours ago. Doctor Schultz, did your team receive it?"

"We did." Doctor Schultz confirmed.

"Any comments? Thoughts? Questions?"

"I think a lot of those demands are pretty ridiculous." one of the board members spoke up.

"You know, I am very glad that you said that because that exact statement is the perfect way to start off this discussion. That statement is pretty much exactly how my clients are feeling about this entire situation. That statement basically sums up exactly why we are here. Because a member of this hospital's staff decided that without even so much as laying eyes on my client, or ever saying a single word to her, they decided to accuse my client's husband of controlling, manipulative abuse. Mrs. Huntzberger was inpatient at this very hospital about 36 hours ago, with a very high risk pregnancy. Now you are all doctors, and I understand that you may or may not have specialized in obstetrics, so you may not be fully versed in all things pregnancy, but let me ask you this ... When a patient is brought into the hospital with hypertension, what are they at risk for? Doctor in the middle, I'm sorry I don't know any of your names, but you with the pink blouse, what are the risks associated with hypertension? What are you looking to prevent for your patient?" Collin asked.

"I am Doctor Spelling. Some complication risks include heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, heart failure, and weakened and narrowed blood vessels."

"Alright, but what else? Let's go with you in the blue tie."

"Doctor Silver."

"Doctor Silver, what risks or complications would you be looking to prevent for a patient being brought into the hospital with hypertension?"

"They could have a metabolic syndrome, maybe high cholesterol, cognitive impairment, memory loss, or dementia. They could have kidney failure, or an arterial rupture."

"Thank you Doctor Silver. So now let's further complicate things, and let me ask you this. A patient is brought in who is 24 weeks pregnant, her pulse elevated and she is hypertensive. Now what are we looking at? Let's go with you in the green tie."

"Doctor Conrad."

"Doctor Conrad, what risks or complications are we looking to prevent with hypertension during pregnancy?"

"The first thing we would need to check would be the baby. How is the hypertension affecting the baby?"

"Alright, but what else? What are the risks to both the mother and the baby? What kind of complications are we looking at here?"

"We would look for swelling, weight gain, vision changes, nausea and vomiting."

"Doctor Conrad, I understand that those are symptoms, but I'm asking for risks and complications. What risks come with hypertension during pregnancy? What dangers are there?"

"Well there is poor growth of the fetus, eclampsia, pre-eclampsia, seizures, placental abruption, still birth of the fetus and death of both the mother and baby."

"I'm sorry, but could you repeat the last thing that you just said. I just want to make sure that everyone in this room hears it. What was the very last thing that you just said?"

"Death of the mother and baby."

"Thank you Doctor Conrad. Death of the mother and baby. With hypertension during pregnancy comes the risk of death to both the mother and the baby. Alright so now that we have discussed the risks or complications from hypertension, let's discuss what can cause this problem. Let's start with you, right here in the purple shirt. What are some causes of hypertension?"

"Doctor Walters. Hypertension can be caused by age, medication, race, diet, family history, sleep apnea, kidney or adrenal problems, thyroid problems, or drug use."

"Thank you Doctor Walters. Let's keep going, how about you right here in the red top. Other than the things Doctor Walters already mentioned, what are some other causes of hypertension?"

"Age, race, family history, being overweight, not getting enough exercise, taking in too much sodium, too little potassium, alcohol, and stress."

"What was that last thing that you said?"

"Alcohol and stress."

"Stress, that was it. Thank you! What was your name? I don't believe I caught it."

"Patrice. I am a physician's assistant."

"Patrice, thank you Patrice. Now since you and I are already chatting, can you look at the video screen protected on the wall and please identify for me which of the three women you see on the screen, that you believe to be Lorelai Huntzberger."

"The woman on the right is Doctor Gellar."

"That is correct. But of the other two, which one of them is Lorelai?"

"I don't know."

"You don't? But she was your patient yesterday morning. Which one of these women was the patient who was brought into labor and delivery yesterday morning? Maybe we can help you here. Doctor Gellar, would you mind having both women stand up for us? Maybe have them turn to the side?" Collin asked.

"I guess. Logan, would you help me?" Paris asked.

"While they are repositioning, let me help you out a little bit. Both of these women are patients of Doctor Gellar. One of them is 24 weeks pregnant and the other is only about 20. All I need you to do is identify which one of them is Doctor Huntzberger's wife, who is 24 weeks pregnant."

"Alright, they're ready." Paris announced, angling the camera on the laptop so everyone could see both Honor and Rory.

"Thank you Doctor Gellar. Now go ahead Patrice. Please identify for me which woman is Lorelai Huntzberger."

"I don't know, I didn't treat that patient." Patrice answered.

"You didn't treat her or you didn't see her?"

"Neither one."

"So what you are telling us is that yesterday morning, Mrs. Huntzberger was brought into labor and delivery with hypertension while you were running the shift, but you did not see her, nor did you treat her."

"That is correct."

"Thank you Patrice. Doctor Schultz, you know both Doctor Huntzberger and his wife pretty well, don't you?"

"Yes I do." Doctor Schultz confirmed.

"Alright then Doctor Schultz, please identify for me which woman on the screen is Mrs. Huntzberger?"

"Rory is the brunette. The other woman is Doctor Huntzberger's sister. I believe her name is Honor."

"Thank you Doctor Schultz. You are correct. Doctor Huntzberger's wife Lorelai, or Rory as she goes by, is indeed the brunette. How long have you known Doctor Huntzberger?"

"For several years. Since he started medical school. I also treated him when he was a patient here many years ago. He had a broken ankle and a collapsed lung."

"That's right, I remember those injuries very well. Doctor Huntzberger base jumped off a cliff with some friends, and his parachute didn't open. So let me ask you this Doctor Schultz, so you remember that hospital stay when you are treating Doctor Huntzberger, so you recall who was with him during his stay?"

"I do. That was his wife. I believe they were still dating at the time. She was with him the entire time. She rarely left him."

"Thank you Doctor Schultz. So now let me ask all of you here today, please show me by a raise of hands, how many of you, prior to yesterday, have met or worked with Doctor Huntzberger?... Excellent, all but three of you. Very good. Now for those of you who know Doctor Huntzberger, how many of you know his wife, Rory?... You all do, wonderful! Alright, so now let's ask this question; if you had to describe Doctor Huntzberger, what would you say? If I had never met him, how would you describe Doctor Huntzberger to me? Give me the good, give me the bad. What would youu say about him if you needed to describe him or give him a review of some kind? Doctor Schultz, let's start with you since you've known him the longest. How would you describe Doctor Huntzberger?"

"How would I describe Doctor Huntzberger? Well, I think that Logan is very talented, very smart. He is very driven, easily motivated. He's a team player and always looks out for everyone around him."

"Thank you Doctor Schultz. What else? How about you? Yellow top. How would you describe Doctor Huntzberger?"

"Doctor Hawkins. I would say that Doctor Huntzberger is very friendly. He's easy to get along with. Doctor Huntzberger is educated. He is always researching, always learning new things. He keeps up with the changing times and everything going on around us. He knows exactly what new viruses are going around and what symptoms identify it. He is a huge asset to this hospital. We miss having him in the ER."

"Thank you Doctor Hawkins. Let's go with you, black tie. Describe Doctor Huntzberger."

"I'm Doctor Bell. I would say that Doctor Huntzberger is a good man. A gentle man. Patients really like him. He takes his time with them. He communicates with them. Asks the important questions. Makes them feel heard and at ease. He explains things thoroughly. He isn't afraid to jump in when needed. He's helpful. He does his job and everyone else's. He doesn't leave things for the nurses because they are below his pay grade. If someone needs an IV or an injection, Doctor Huntzberger takes care of it. Nothing is beneath him. He's a joy to work with. Very pleasant to be around."

"Thank you Doctor Bell. Why don't we change good up a little bit. I want to go with someone who I know has known Doctor Huntzberger a very long time. Doctor Gellar. How would you describe Doctor Huntzberger? What is he like?" Collin asked.

"I've known Logan since college. I've known him just as long as his wife has."

"Which is exactly why I am asking you this question. In all the years that you have known Doctor Huntzberger, how would you describe him?"

"I would say that he's cocky. Pretty arrogant. But he has a right to be. Doctor Huntzberger knows his stuff. He's educated and he's hard working but kind of a slacker sometimes. Sometimes he needs a good kick in the pants. But he's friendly. And he's gentle. He can be a bit goofy, he's a bit of a prankster at times, but he knows how to turn the clown off when it is time to be serious. He's studious. He's patient. Very level headed. He's good in a crisis. He's a good leader. He can be very charming. He's very dedicated to things that matter to him. He's thorough. He doesn't half ass things. He's passionate. He can be a bit bull headed about things that matter to him. He can be a bit stubborn. He isn't afraid of a fight. If there is something the Doctor Huntzberger wants, he goes after it. No matter how hard that thing may be too attain. No matter how much it will cost him. If it's important to him, he's going to achieve it. Even if it takes him 8 years. Doctor Huntzberger is dedicated. He isn't afraid of hard work. He isn't afraid of a challenge. He's not a people pleaser. He doesn't say or do things just to get on your good side. He doesn't care if you like him or not. But he does care that you do your job. And that you do it well. That you do it correctly. If Doctor Huntzberger sees a problem, he addresses it. He fixes it. He isn't afraid to jump in to help in other areas, even if he knows nothing about them. He's a quick learner. He knows nothing about obstetrics but hooked up a fetal echo cardio monitor today faster than I've ever seen. Faster than even I can do it. And he did it correctly. He did it flawlessly. Without even using the extra tools available to help him. He only used a stethoscope."

"Wow!" Doctor Schultz commented.

"Doctor Huntzberger is a bigger asset to this hospital than any of us even realize. He doesn't just know how to do his job, but he knows how to do all of ours too. Doctor Huntzberger is a very good friend. A dependable friend. Someone you can count on. Someone who is always there when you need him. He's someone who really cares about others. Who puts your well-being ahead of his own. He's a family man. His family is very important to him. Even if he doesn't agree with them all the time, Logan's family is still his priority. He puts them first. He takes care of them. He makes sure that they have all the best doctors and nurses. That they have in home care. He makes sure that his family has every single thing that they need, no matter what it is. He loves them and he protects them. If you are a friend to Doctor Huntzberger, then you are family. He's very accepting. He adopts you in. His door is always open. He never turns anybody away."

"Thank you Doctor Gellar. I too have known Doctor Huntzberger for a very long time. I've known him for 35 years. We've been friends our entire lives. And I have to agree with Doctor Gellar. Heck, I agree with all of you. Doctor Huntzberger is my best friend. He's the brother I never had. Doctor Huntzberger has always been there for me. Even when he was super busy with other things. Even when he was going through something tough of his own. On his very worst days, when all Doctor Huntzberger wanted to do was drink himself into oblivion, he was still there for me. Because he cared. Because I'm his friend. Because I'm family. Yesterday was a really tough day for Doctor Huntzberger. His wife woke him up at 2:30 in the morning, after he had only slept for about 3 hours. She woke him because something was wrong. She didn't know what it was, but she had a feeling. Now, let me see by a raise of hands. How many of us in this room would have told our wives to shut up and go back to sleep? We probably would have worded it a little bit nicer, but how many of us would have blown our wives off? How many of us would have told our wives to go back to sleep and that we would deal with it in the morning? That's right, every single one of us. Myself included. I do it all the time. My wife will tell you exactly how many times I've ignored her, and told her to go back to sleep. And I fully admit to every single one of them. I hate waking up in the middle of the night! Now, I know that several of you have worked in the emergency room with Doctor Huntzberger. How many of you have had to call him in the middle of the night? How many of you have had to wake him up? Excellent, four of you. And what did Doctor Huntzberger say to you when you called him? What did he say when you woke him up?"

"He said 'I'm on my way'." One doctor answered.

"What about you? In the gray coat. What did he say to you when you woke him up in the middle of the night?"

"He said the same thing; 'I'm on my way'."

"And you? Yellow top."

"Same thing. 'I'm on my way'."

"Doctor Schultz, what did Doctor Huntzberger say to you the night that you called him and woke him up in the middle of the night?" Collin asked.

"I've woken him up multiple times. But it's always been the same thing. 'I'm on my way'." Doctor Schultz answered.

"Mrs. Huntzberger, I know this answer already, but for those here who haven't lived with Logan, and who haven't known him for as long as we have, is Logan an easy person to wake up? Is he happy if you wake him up in the middle of the night?"

"Hell no!" Rory answered. "Logan hates being woken up!"

"Does Doctor Huntzberger put up a fight when the phone rings in the middle of the night? Does he ever hit the reject button and go back to sleep?"

"Not even once."

"What does Doctor Huntzberger do when the phone rings in the middle of the night?"

"He grumbles for a second while he reaches for it, but then he's getting out of bed and getting dressed as he answers it."

"So what happened yesterday morning when you woke up at 2:30 feeling like something was wrong?"

"Logan grumbled and told me to go back to sleep. That he would take care of whatever was going on in the morning."

"But then what happened?"

"He got up, checked my pulse, saw that it was racing and took me to his office where he had the equipment to check the baby."

"What did Logan say to you about what was going on?"

"He didn't. He just told me that I needed to calm down, breathe and try to relax. He told me that everything was going to be ok."

"I know you pretty well Rory and I know that you don't let Logan blow you off like that. Did you pester Logan yesterday? Did you ask him a million times to give you information? Did you demand to know what was going on?"

"I did. I told him that I knew that he was hiding something from me, and that I deserved to know what was wrong."

"What did Logan say to you about that?"

"That he would tell me as soon as he knew for sure. That it wasn't good for me or the baby to be worrying about things and to let him deal with the medical side, and that all I needed to focus on was trying to relax and not stressing myself or the baby out."

"Mrs. Huntzberger, is Logan a good husband?"

"He's an amazing husband!"

"For those here who don't know you well, would you mind describing your husband? And remember that Doctor Gellar is with you, she'll slug him if he gets upset about anything that you say. Actually, let's do this. Honor, why don't you take your brother into the other room. Take him far enough away to where he can't hear anything Rory says." Collin suggested.

"You ok with this?" Logan whispered to his wife.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You go." Rory smiled, then watched as Honor took Logan out of the room and closed the door behind them.

"Doctor Gellar, go check the hallway, make sure they aren't standing outside the door." Collin told her.

"Alright." Paris agreed, getting up and moving across the room to check outside the door, before rejoining Rory on the bed. "It's all clear."

"Thank you Doctor Gellar. Now Rory, would you please tell us about your husband. Tell us the good, tell us the ugly. What is Logan REALLY like?"

"Logan is a good man. He's very gentle. Very respectful. Kind of arrogant. Very stubborn. He can sometimes be a jerk when he's upset. But he's always apologetic. Always very sweet. He's very loving. He's a little bit OCD about some things. He likes things clean. He isn't a big fan of messes or clutter. Logan likes to have a nice clean house, and a very clean car. He takes his car for detailing a lot. And he is very particular about his looks. Logan likes to look his best. He is very stylish. Very coordinated. He cares about his appearance more than any guy I've ever met. And he showers A LOT! Logan prides himself on being clean. He's always washing his hands and cleaning himself. The days that he works at the hospital, he showers any time he leaves the building. Even if he is just running out to grab some lunch, Logan showers. He hates germs, and he refuses to allow any germs in his car. Logan will shower 5-10 times a day if need be. He keeps several different outfits in his locker, just so he always has clean clothes to wear. Logan enjoys working out, and going running with his dog. He likes to cook healthy food, and somehow gets enjoyment out of making me eat it. Logan likes to travel and try new things. Logan is pretty fearless and enjoys a good thrill, no matter how dangerous it might be." Rory said, causing Collin to laugh. "Logan has never met a challenge that he's afraid of. Nothing really phases him. Logan likes to live life on the edge. He can be a little bit impulsive, and sometimes doesn't think things all the way through. Logan is a good provider, and loves to take care of people. He's a problem solver, and will usually have a solution to your problem before you even finish telling him what the problem actually is. Logan doesn't mind doing hard work, but he's not exactly a handy man around the house. He's great at getting things fixed, but don't ever let him tell you that he did it himself, because he didn't. He's great at convincing his friends to do this, whether the things they are doing are good for them or not. Logan is a great at delegating. He's an amazing leader, and has the patience of a saint. He likes to read, and will never admit it, but he actually reads more than I do, and Collin and Paris can tell you all about what I nerd I am. Logan absolutely HATES to do it, but he's an incredible writer! He is super smart, and loves a good joke. He's a lot of fun to be around, and enjoys making people smile. Is that enough? He'll probably be completely embarrassed by most of what I've told you."

"Yes, that was perfect. Thank you Rory. And I wouldn't worry about Logan being embarrassed. There isn't much that Logan has done that he could possibly be embarrassed out." Collin told her.

"Well I know that YOU don't embarrass at all, but Logan . . . He actually cares more than he lets on."

"Doctor Gellar, you can go ahead and let Logan know that he can come back now."

"I just texted him." Paris confirmed.

"Alright, so let's continue here. Now that we've detailed the exact risks of Mrs. Huntzberger's pregnancy, and we've all shared our thoughts on Doctor Huntzberger, we need to move on to discuss why we are all here today. Doctor Huntzberger, thank you for rejoining us, and for being understanding enough to step out so that your wife was free to speak openly about you."

"No problem. Did she completely ruin my reputation?" Logan asked as he took his seat back next to Rory.

"Oh she slaughtered you! You'll never work in this town ever again!" Collin joked.

"I'm sure you're right."

"So the reason that we are all here is because someone in this very room has accused my client of something obviously completely ridiculously despicable! Somebody here said some very hurtful and disrespectful things about my client. Someone here has been spreading hatred and rumors to fellow staff members. Someone here has used their power as a medical professional, to hurt my clients. Doctor Schultz, will you please share with the group, the reason for this meeting today?"

"Doctor Huntzberger is being investigated by the Internal Affairs office, for suspicion of patient abuse."

"Thank you Doctor Schultz. Now I would like to ask you something else. Did the person who initiated this investigation bring these allegations to your attention prior to going up the chain to Internal Affairs?"

"She did."

"Thank you Doctor Schultz. And what was the complaint that you received?"

"I was told that there was a patient in Labor and Delivery that needed my attention."

"What else were you told?" Collin asked.

"I was told that the patient was brought into the hospital by a controlling husband who was barking orders at the nurses, claiming that they came from Doctor Gellar."

"Were you given a name?"

"Not until I asked for one. I was told that the man claimed to be a doctor in our facility, but no name was provided until I asked for one."

"What name were you given?"

"I was told Huntzberger. Just like that. No first name, just Huntzberger."

"What was your reaction to all of this?"

"My reaction was disbelief. I didn't believe that any member of my staff would come into the hospital and be disrespectful to any of their peers. I have never had a problem with anyone on staff here at Columbia. Everyone I've ever hired in this hospital holds each other to the same high level of respect as they expect to be treated with. We have honestly not had any cases of disrespect that I am aware of since I took on the role of Chief Of Staff two years ago."

"Doctor Schultz, as Chief Of Staff, what did you do about these allegations that were brought to your attention?"

"I confirmed that Doctor Huntzberger is indeed a doctor in this facility, and then I asked for details from the event. I needed to know exactly what happened."

"And what was it that you were told?"

"I was told that Doctor Huntzberger is manipulative, controlling, and abusive. I was told that he walked in and started barking orders, telling that staff what needed to be done, and that they had to run everything by him. I was told that Doctor Huntzberger told the staff that they were not allowed to speak to the patient themselves because the patient was his wife, and that the staff were told that Doctor Huntzberger got to dictate what information she was told. And the individual who told me all of this, called the actions 'manipulative, controlling abuse'."

"Did you try to remedy the situation?"

"I did. I tried to talk to the individual and calm her down. I let her know that the words she was using were very strong, very serious accusations that could greatly hurt a fellow staff member, and that maybe we should think about finding some other words to describe the situation, and that while I understood her being upset, I felt that we needed to handle things in a more calm manner. I explained that Doctor Huntzberger is a very kind very respected man and doctor, and while this individual might be upset in the moment, we should find some better words to use to describe the situation."

"What happened after that?"

"The reporting individual brought up the hospital's policy about staff members treating family members, and stated that Doctor Huntzberger wasn't permitted to treat his wife, which is correct. However, I let the individual know that the hospital also has a policy that allows our staff to consult on their family member's treatment."

"What does it mean to consult on treatment Doctor Schultz?"

"Columbia's hospital policy dictates that no staff member can treat a patient who is family, meaning that Doctor Huntzberger's wife is not allowed to also be his patient. However, the hospital does give doctors consulting rights pertaining to the treatment of their family and friends. What this means is that even though Mrs. Huntzberger is Doctor Gellar's patient, Doctor Huntzberger is allowed to have an opinion on the treatment that his wife receives. It is a professional courtesy. It basically makes us team doctors. Doctor Gellar may be the one handling Mrs. Huntzberger's care and making all of the decisions, but as a fellow physician and staff member, Doctor Huntzberger has the right to question Doctor Gellar's practices. He has the right to question the way she does things, and suggest other methods of treatment and/or medication. Doctor Gellar doesn't necessarily have to agree with how Doctor Huntzberger sees things, because being his wife's doctor, her care is ultimately Doctor Gellar's call. But we make a team effort with our patients in order to give them all the best possible care. We do this with all of our patients. We all have different specialties, but that doesn't make any single doctor or nurse an expert on everything. I personally specialized in orthopedics while Doctor Gellar specializes in obstetrics and Doctor Huntzberger in immunology and internal medicine. Everyone on staff in this hospital has a different specialty, and we all consult with each other all the time. We all need help treating our patients from time to time, and having an entire hospital full of knowledge and know how benefits everyone."

"Thank you so much Doctor Schultz. Can you tell me what happened after you explained the policy?"

"After that, the individual complained some more throwing the original accusation around, and again I explained that it didn't sound at all like Doctor Huntzberger. I told her that I know both Doctor and Mrs. Huntzberger pretty well, and those accusations just sounded ridiculous, and nothing like them. I asked the individual if she spoke to Mrs. Huntzberger, and she admitted that she hadn't. She hadn't seen or spoken to Mrs. Huntzberger at all, which was made obvious just a few minutes ago when asked to identify her. This individual has no knowledgeable or information on which to base her accusations. I let her know that I had never witnessed anything like what she was reporting, and that throwing those kinds of accusations around could result in an unfair investigation into a colleague. Then she was upset about being asked that all of Mrs. Huntzberger's treatment information be given to her husband, and allowing him to decide how to proceed rather than being given directly to the patient, which in this case seems like absolutely the right thing to do. Due to the circumstances, I absolutely fully support that decision. I think that it is absolutely in the best interest of the patient."

"Doctor Schultz, let me stop you right here for a moment, if you don't mind. I have a few questions that I would like to address before I have you continue. And for these questions, I want to directly address one specific person in this room. And that you would be you Patrice." Collin said as he moved to stand directly in front of her. "Patrice, how long have you been a physician's assistant?"

"About 18 months."

"Patrice, are you familiar with the term HIPAA?"

"Of course I am."

"Can you tell me what HIPAA stands for?"

"HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act."

"And what does that mean? Specifically?"

"It means that no medical professional is allowed to share a patient's information with anyone, including their insurance company, a spouse, or family member without signed consent from the patient themselves."

"Thank you Patrice. Now here is another question for you. I am going to hand you a piece of paper, and I need you to identify it for me please. But before I do, I am going to show it to Doctor Schultz and the Huntzbergers." Collin said as he walked across the room to his laptop, and held up a piece of paper. "Logan, Rory, can you two see this paper, and the information on it?"

"Yes we can." Logan answered.

"Do you recognize this document?"

"Yes I do."

"Mrs. Huntzberger, what about you? Do you recognize this document?"

"I do."

"And what about this right here. Don't say what it is, but this line right here, would you agree that this is valid?"

"It is." Rory answered, looking at where Collin was pointing.

"Thank you. Now Doctor Schultz . . . Are you familiar with this document?"

"Very familiar. I see it all the time."

"Thank you Doctor Schultz. Now Patrice. Please identify this specific document for me."

"That is a copy of this hospital's HIPAA policy."

"That is correct. And would you mind identifying the patient name on this document?"

"It says Lorelai Leigh Gilmore Huntzberger."

"Thank you Patrice. And right here, what does it say?" Collin asked pointing to one specific area. "Why don't you read this section out loud for the group, please."

"I hereby authorize the release of my medical information to the following individuals from now, until I formally revoke such access. Logan Huntzberger, Lorelai Gilmore, Emily Gilmore, Paris Gellar."

"Thank you Patrice."

"Doctor Spelling, can you answer a question for me?"

"I would be happy to." Doctor Spelling spoke up.

"What does it mean to have been given access to a patient's medical information in a case such as the one that we are discussing today?"

"It means that Doctor Huntzberger has the permission of his wife to speak on her behalf about all treatment and medical records pertaining to this facility."

"Thank you Doctor Spelling. Doctor Schultz, you may continue. What happened next?"

"The reporting individual insisted that having to give information to the patient's husband was controlling manipulative abuse, and insisted that I start a formal investigation into Doctor Huntzberger, and even went as far as to allude that should I choose not to, she would have to go over my head, and do it herself. I then let her know that I would talk to Doctor Gellar, in order to get her side of the situation. As it happened, Doctor Gellar happened to come into my office at that exact time, and the reporting individual happened to have left the door open when she came to see me, allowing Doctor Gellar to overhear our conversation. Doctor Gellar, being the strong outspoken woman she is, had some choice words to say in defense of her patient, causing the reporting party to become more agitated than before, suggested that I start an abuse investigation into Doctor Gellar as well, and then storm out of my office."

"Thank you very much Doctor Schultz. I really appreciate your honesty. Patrice, do you recall these events as they've been retold?"

"What is your point?"

"This is a yes or no question. Do you recall these events?"

"Yes."

"Thank you Patrice. Now I would like to address someone brand new. Annie Eubanks. We met briefly yesterday morning, did we not?"

"We did."

"Ms. Eubanks, do you know Patrice?"

"I do."

"Had you met her prior to yesterday?"

"We have. We've been friends for years."

"How many years would you say?"

"Five to ten maybe?"

"How many years? I need a specific number."

"We met during college. I want to say 7 years ago."

"Ms. Eubanks, what school did you attend?"

"Columbia University."

"In what capacity did you meet Patrice?"

"We were roommates during our last two years."

"You were?"

"Does it matter? What does this have to do with anything?"

"Would you say that you and Patrice have a close friendship?"

"We do."

"Did you speak to Patrice yesterday?"

"I speak to her every day."

"Did you speak to her yesterday?"

"I did."

"At about what time?"

"She came to my office very upset around 9:00 and asked to file a complaint."

"She did?"

"Is that not what I just said?"

"Ms. Eubanks, has Patrice asked you for help before?"

"I help her all the time. She's my best friend."

"I'm sorry, let me rephrase that. Has she ever asked you for professional help? Has she ever asked you to use your professional position with this hospital to help her with any problems?"

"A couple of times."

"And have you helped her?"

"Of course I have. Isn't that what friends do?"

"About how many times?"

"Two or three."

"And what have those events entailed? What kind of problems?"

"Hospital personnel files are private. I am not permitted to share that kind of information with you."

"Have they entailed problems with other employees within the Columbia University system?"

"I am not at liberty to answer that."

"You can either answer the question, or I will have a court order to search your office first thing tomorrow morning, and I will subpoena every single piece of paper that you've ever laid your hands on. What type of problems did you help Patrice with?"

"Hospital personnel files are none of your business."

"Ms. Eubanks, I really highly suggest that you give me an honest answer because all that I need to do is make one phone call, and I will have all the access that I need to go through every file in your possession. What kind of problems did you help Patrice with?"

"I already told you. Hospital personnel files are private."

"Doctor Schultz, I have something for you." Collin said, moving back across the room. "Can you identify this piece of paper, please?"

"This looks like a subpoena from the superior court here in New York City, requesting access to all files in the Internal Affairs office."

"And what is the date on this piece of paper?"

"It looks like it was time stamped at approximately 3pm this afternoon."

"Doctor Conrad, let's go with you this time. What does a subpoena mean?"

"That subpoena would grant you immediate access the files in Internal Affairs.

"Doctor Schultz, I will be needing an escort to the Internal Affairs office as soon as we are done here, and I will be changing the lock on the door to only allow access to myself and my legal counterparts." Collin told him.

"I'll call security right now and have them remove everyone from the office."

"I need all people escorted out of the office. All computers, all files, all paperwork belong to me. Ronald, Mitchell, I need you to go with security right now. Please secure the office for me." Collin said, as he turned to Mitchum's lawyers.

"Right away Mr. McCrae." Ronald answered as the men got up from their seats, and headed for the door.

"Doctor Schultz, please have security meet my associates outside the door and take them to the internal affairs office right now. I'll give you a moment to make the call." Collin said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and began pushing buttons."

_Text message to Logan from Collin:_

_BOOM!_

_To Collin from Logan:_

_HOLY SHIT! How in the world did you pull that off?! I had no idea!_

_To Logan from Collin:_

_Am I good or am I good?!_

_To Collin from Logan:_

_I obviously pay you very well for a damn reason!_

_To Logan from Collin:_

_Did you see that bitch's face?!_

_To Collin from Logan:_

_Hell yeah I did! She looks completely terrified!_

_What judge did you bribe?_

_To Logan from Collin:_

_No bribes necessary. And his name is Daddy._

_To Collin from Logan:_

_FUCK!_

_Rory says she bows down to the new master._

_To Logan from Collin:_

_Just remember, I now OWN YOU_

_To Collin from Logan:_

_We'll talk_

"Mr. McCrae, security will be here momentarily." Doctor Schultz said as he set his phone down on the table in front of him.

"Thank you Doctor Schultz. I really appreciate all of your help today. Unfortunately, I need a little bit more help from you . . . Now that we've established exactly what has happened today, let's address the matter of the investigation into my clients. Doctor Silver, let me ask you this, with everything that has been discussed thus far, would you say that my client, Doctor Huntzberger acted out of manipulative controlling abuse toward his wife, asking that his wife's medical needs to run through him yesterday?"

"Not at all. Doctor Huntzberger was acting in the best interest of his wife. Especially considering the circumstances."

"Thank you doctor Silver. Doctor Bell, what do you think of this situation? Do you think that Doctor Huntzberger's request was reasonable?"

"I do. I would have asked the exact same thing had it been my wife."

"Thank you Doctor Bell. I appreciate that statement." Collin told him. "So now that we've established that these ridiculous allegations toward my clients are completely unfounded, we need to address the fact that my clients entire relationship has been put under the microscope of this hospital by these two best friends. Yesterday, I was told that it was my obligation to prove that Doctor Huntzberger was innocent of all allegations, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Doctor Gellar and I spent hours wasting our time, digging through over a decade of Facebook posts from everyone we know; family, friends, college acquaintances. We took screenshots of hundreds of posts, and wasted reams of paper and ink printing them all out. But then this morning, while meeting with my partners, Ronald, Mitchell and Gilbert, we realized that there is an even simpler way to handle this entire situation. Who in this room is familiar with the term 'net worth'? Oh excellent, everyone! Why we don't start with you Ms. Eubanks. What does the term net worth refer to?"

"Net worth refers to how much something is worth. For instance a bracelet. It tells you whether the bracelet is worth two dollars, or two hundred dollars."

"Thank you Ms. Eubanks. That is the perfect explanation. Here is another question for you. Are you aware that some people have a net worth?"

"I am."

"Have you ever googled either Doctor Huntzberger or his wife? And please, be honest because I now have unlimited access to every computer and piece of paper in your office, and I'll know every porn website that you've visited by the end of the day. So please, let's be honest. Have you ever googled my clients?"

"I have not."

"What about you Patrice?" Collin asked. "Have you ever googled my clients?"

"Why would I do that?" Patrice answered.

"Yes or no will suffice for an answer."

"I have not."

"We all know who Oprah is, do we not? What about Kim Kardashian? George Lucas? Yes? Excellent! I'm going to pass around a few papers. The first ones you will see are the net worths of the celebrities I named. Oprah Winfrey is the fourth richest celebrity with a net worth of $3.5 billion dollars. Kim Kardashian is currently listed at number 14 with $900 million dollars. Who would have ever thought, but George Lucas isn't even number one anymore. He is actually number two right now, but 6.5 billion dollars. Now these three people are just celebrities. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon is worth $116.9 billion dollars, while Bill gates comes in at Number two with $99.9 billion dollars. These are extravagant amounts of money, are they not? Let me see by a show of hands who in this room has heard of the Huntzberger Publishing Group? You know, the huge building down the street from the empire state building, that now houses the HPG and Columbia University employee medical clinic. Who here has heard about that building? Oh excellent, everyone! That makes me happy. Now, who here is aware of who owns that building? Who owns that big fancy building?"

"I know!" Logan spoke up, with a huge smile on his face.

"It's not your Dad anymore Logan." Collin chuckled.

"You're right, it's not my Dad . . . It's my WIFE!"

"And there we have it! My client, Mrs. Huntzberger owns that big fancy building. And is anyone here aware of Mrs. Huntzberger's net worth? Because I do believe that this number makes her Columbia University's absolute wealthiest patient . . . Now let me preface this by saying that clearly Doctor Huntzberger doesn't need to work. He obviously does it because he enjoys it. Doctor Huntzberger was born into a very wealthy family. But everything that he has done, he's worked his ass off, and earned it all himself. According to the research that we did this morning, Doctor Logan Elias Huntzberger's approximate net worth currently stands at $375 million dollars. Now this is actually news to me, because Logan and I have been friends since we were in diapers, and I happen to know for a fact that he blew right through his entire inheritance right after graduating from college. So I actually question this number. But according to everything we've found, that number that you see right here on this paper, is what our good doctor is worth. $375 million dollars because his last name is Huntzberger. But now, here is the fun part . . . Logan's wife. Sweet, innocent, angel faced Rory. Sweet Rory who our group of friends met in college and thought was nothing. Just a lowly little peon of a nobody. The girl who many of us looked down on until Logan suddenly took a liking to her. My sweet sweet friend Rory . . . I do love you Rory, but I kind of hate you too. Do you even know how much you are worth? Or that you overtook the entire Kardashian family?!"

"Didn't she overtake Zuckerberg too?" Logan asked.

"You're right Logan, she did! Lorelai Leigh Huntzberger is currently listed at a whopping net worth of 37.5 billion dollars. Don't get me wrong, because a month ago, this number was significantly lower! But my sweet angelic Rory . . . I honestly had no idea. And I have to admit that I'm pretty freaking jealous! So now the question begs to be asked, why would someone like Rory, who has more money than she could ever possibly know what to do with, WHY would Rory ever allow herself to be manipulated, controlled and abused by anyone? I mean really, Rory obviously doesn't need her husband for anything. Clearly she can provide for herself. Rory doesn't need a home, clothing food, child support . . . There is nothing that Logan can provide for Rory that she can't possibly provide for herself. And even in the community property state of New York, spousal abuse doesn't qualify you for a single cent from a spouse during divorce proceedings. So WHY would someone like Rory allow herself to be abused?"

"She wouldn't." Doctor Hawkins answered.

"Thank you Doctor Hawkins. Now, if you wouldn't mind, could you answer this question for me . . . There are only three people by law, who are allowed to charge a spouse with abuse. Can you tell me who these three people are?"

"Both spouses and a treating medical professional."

"Thank you Doctor Hawkins, you are absolutely correct! Those three people are both spouses, and a treating medical professional. Patrice, I know that you answered this question earlier, but I need for you to answer it one more time. Did you treat my patient yesterday?"

"I did not."

"You did not. But yet you charged her husband with abuse, did you not?"

"I didn't charge anything."

"Oh I'm sorry Patrice, I used the wrong word. You reported alleged abuse of a patient that you did not treat, is that correct?"

"What's your point?"

"My point Patrice is that you filed a FALSE report against my clients, abusing your power as a medical professional, did you not?"

"I'm not the one on trial here."

"Oh Patrice, that's what YOU think! But the reality of the situation is that you actually are. Patrice Maurine Nigel, you've been served!" Collin said as he pulled a couple envelopes out of his coat pocket, and handed them over. "Annie Kendall Eubanks, you too have been served. I will see both of you in court! Doctors, my clients' demands are in the paperwork in front of you. Doctor Huntzberger is to immediately be reinstated as a permanent full-time employee here at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, with full access to everything that he had before, that was suddenly denied to him yesterday. Doctor Huntzberger will be resuming his position treating patients in his office at the Huntzberger Clinic, first thing tomorrow morning. We also expect the immediate termination of the two employees I just served with lawsuit paperwork. They forfeit all rights to severance, sick or vacation time payouts. The only funds that will remain available to them, is what is owed on their current paycheck. I expect to have a copy of their termination paperwork on my desk by 7am tomorrow. We also expect the immediate dismissal of this bogus investigation, as Doctor Huntzberger is innocent of all allegations made against him. This investigation is to disappear, every single trace of it, and to not appear anywhere in his employee file, or in any Columbia University, or state medical board records. It is to be as if this entire incident never happened. It was all just one big bad dream. And in exchange for these three things, Doctor and Mrs. Huntzberger agree to drop all other demands made of the Columbia University system. We are done here." Collin announced as he crossed his arms over his chest, smirking at the hospital board members in front of him, then turning to face his laptop that sat on a table next to him. "You're welcome!"


	73. Chapter 73

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

Sorry I haven't updated in a few days. We finally got our moving date. We move on the 24th. So 12 days from today. In the next 4 days, I have to get 30 masks made for a friend, and start getting moving stuff started. Anybody want to come clean and pack my house? Or watch my kids so I can actually get stuff done? I'm trying to find time to write, but I have so much to do right now, and almost no time to do it. I should really be sewing right now, instead of writing. But writing is my escape from reality, so I would rather be doing that instead.

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy.

Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I have been cracking up reading them lately. Thank you so much! You guys really keep me going. I really look forward to reading every single one of them. I've even responded to a few, so check your messages!

* * *

"Gosh damn it Collin!" Logan said as his friend stepped off the helicopter in the Huntzberger's backyard an hour later.

"Did you like that Huntzberger? Did you like my broadsword?!"

"Holy shit, Bro! That was the greatest slaughter fest that I've seen in my entire life!"

"I thought you'd like that." Collin chuckled. "Where's Rory? I'm dying to hear her reaction!"

"She's actually at her Grandparents. Lorelai picked her up and took her over shortly after we finished. I told her that I would meet them there. I wanted to be here when you got back."

"Damn, so I won't get to talk to her until tomorrow."

"Why don't you come to dinner with us? I'll call Emily right now. I'm sure she wouldn't mind feeding two more."

"That's ok. Actually, I need to head back home so I can tuck Valerie into bed tonight. I promised Stephanie that I would be back in time."

"Let's do dinner tomorrow then."

"Yes, for sure!"

"I can't believe the amount of ass that you kicked today! I mean I know you were good, but holy shit! That was just epic, Collin! Rory and I were sitting there completely dumbfounded! That had to have been your greatest performance ever!"

"It was pretty good, wasn't it?"

"Collin, thank you! I am so proud to call you my best friend."

"It was my pleasure. We've still got a lot of work to do though. We have a lawsuit to win."

"Can I just ask how the hell you got a subpoena for the Internal Affairs office so quickly?"

"I called Daddy."

"Your Daddy isn't a judge, homie!"

"I didn't say that it was my Daddy."

"You called Stephanie's Dad? Really?!"

"I needed a favor, and he's always told me that I should call him if I need anything. I explained the situation, and he happens to like you. He met me at HPG and handed me the paperwork."

"God bless you, Collin!"

"You're welcome!"

"I'll send him a nice thank you."

"You definitely need to."

"Tell Stephanie to tell him thank you for me. I would offer to take him and his wife to dinner, but Rory isn't able to do anything until after the baby is born. But if they'd like to join us for dinner tomorrow, you are all welcome at the house. I'll have Mirabello's cater."

"I love that idea! I'll run it by them."

"Hey Doyle. Glad you could make it." Logan said as Doyle stepped up next to the men. "Was the flight ok?"

"It was. It was nice and quick. This is your house Huntzberger?"

"My Dad's house, but yeah."

"Holy crap! I knew that you guys were rich, but damn!"

"I guess someone missed out on hearing Rory's net worth today." Collin chuckled.

"Come on Doyle. Your family is inside." Logan told him. "Your kids absolutely LOVE their Uncle Finn. They've been playing with him all day."

"Well they've got dinner with Grandma now, then a long drive back home. Maybe if we're lucky they'll sleep the whole way."

"Something to look forward to, I guess." Logan chuckled as he turned to his father's attorneys. "Gentlemen! That was quite a show that you all put on today!"

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * 7pm Gilmore Residence * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Hey, there he is!" Richard said as Logan walked into the Gilmore's living room.

"Hey everybody. I am so sorry that I'm late. I needed to wait for the attorneys to get back from New York."

"Hi Honey! Did they land ok?" Rory asked as Logan greeted her with a kiss while taking a seat next to her on the couch.

"They did. Everything went perfectly! Couldn't have been any better."

"Rory was just telling us everything that's been going on with you guys. You've had quite the couple days." Emily commented.

"We definitely have, and it's only Tuesday. If this stuff keeps up, I'm going to need a month's vacation in order to recover."

"But everything is ok now though, right?"

"It is. Everything is great. Life is going back to normal."

"So your attorney got everything settled then?" Richard asked.

"My attorney mopped the floor with their blood! Did you tell them about it?" Logan asked, looking at his wife.

"I didn't. I was starting to, but I wanted to wait until you got here, in case anything changed."

"Oh, the only thing that has changed is the lock on the door to the internal affairs office. Ain't nobody gonna be getting in there for a while!"

"So what happened then? Rory said that you guys had a meeting with the hospital board this afternoon." Richard pried.

"We did, and it went very well. Better than even I could have imagined! My buddy Collin is an amazing attorney! And when you pair him with my Dad's team, they are unstoppable!"

"So tell us what happened." Emily eagerly begged.

"I can't believe that Rory didn't tell you, it was absolutely amazing! Collin started off nicely, having the hospital board explaining Rory's condition, symptoms and risks. Then he went on to ask questions about what happened, and he had the board admitting that going after Rory the way the internal affairs lady did, wasn't the smartest idea, and easily could have ended badly for both her and the baby. Collin was incredibly prepared, which was completely amazing since we just started going over everything at 9am. He made the PA identify Rory, giving her a choice of 3 people, Rory, Honor and Paris, to which the PA completely failed! She obviously knew Paris, so she actually had a 50% chance of picking the right pregnant woman, but she couldn't do it. After that, Collin slapped the PA with a copy of Rory's signed HIPAA paperwork, making her admit that talking to me about Rory's treatment wasn't at all violating in any possible way. He even had a couple doctors admitting that having everything go through me was actually the best idea considering Rory's condition. So then Collin moved on to the lady from internal affairs and got her to tell everyone all about how she not only knows the PA, but that they're best friends, and even lived together during college. None of us had even the slightest clue about that, so it was all a complete shock. And then the biggest shock comes, the two women have worked together before."

"No way?!" Richard exclaimed.

"Yeah, so they've worked together before. The PA has gone to her little buddy in the internal affairs office for help dealing with other people in the hospital. Of course no one wanted to admit what it was that they worked on together, and Collin kept getting told that personnel files are private. Collin tried to threaten them with the possibility of getting a subpoena for their files to find out what they were hiding, but the IA lady just kept insisting that the files were private. So all of a sudden, completely out of nowhere, Collin pulls out a subpoena, and hands it to the Chief Of Staff, demanding that the office is immediately shut down, and secured for him to search it."

"No way?! That's incredible!"

"Oh, it gets better, Grandpa!" Rory commented.

"So Collin has the Chief Of Staff call security, and has them escort two of my Dad's lawyers over to the IA office, to get everyone out, and change the locks, so no one can get in there to take anything, and compromise the case. Rory and I were just sitting there thinking 'HOLY CRAP!' So THEN, Collin starts back up again, this time addressing exactly what was being done to us. He full on addressed the abuse allegations, and got everyone to admit that the only three people who could legally make accusations of spousal abuse would be the two spouses, and a treating medical professional. Collin gets the PA to fully admit that she abused her power as a medical professional, but going after me for abuse to a patient that she herself didn't treat, and all of a sudden, Collin pulls a couple envelopes out of his coat pocket, slams them down on the table in front of both the PA and the IA woman, saying 'you've been served'."

"No way!?" Richard commented again.

"It was absolutely incredible! I've never seen anything like it in my entire life! It was the greatest performance in the world! Collin is just incredible!"

"It sounds like it." Emily agreed.

"So then Collin immediately goes into our demands, and exactly what is going to happen from here on out. I was immediately reinstated, Collin has copies of the paperwork closing the investigation, guaranteeing that it will never show up on my records anywhere, including the state medical board, I get to go back to work first thing tomorrow morning, and the men jumped on the helicopter and flew back to Hartford."

"That is incredible!" Richard told them! "What a wonderful outcome!"

"We are very lucky. Collin did an amazing job!"

"It's unfortunate that you guys came to town under the circumstances that you did, but we are always very happy to see you."

"Sorry we don't have nicer clothes to wear to dinner tonight Grandma, but we didn't exactly plan to do anything other than lounge around the house." Rory told her, motioning to her yoga pants, and over-sized sweatshirt.

"No, honey, don't be silly. We completely understand." Emily told her. "You just need to focus on resting and growing that baby."

"I'm doing my best. It's a little bit boring, but I can just as easily sit around here doing nothing, as I can at the Huntzbergers. Plus, we miss you guys. It's been a few weeks since we've seen everyone. We can't possibly come to town without stopping to say hi."

"I see that Logan changed though." Lorelai commented.

"Yeah, I didn't think that an old way too tight t-shirt and basketball shorts were really appropriate to go out in."

"Oh, but you looked so good!" Rory told him.

"I looked ridiculous."

"No you didn't, you looked hot."

"Mrs. Gilmore, dinner is ready." Emily's maid announced, as she entered the living room.

"Oh, excellent! Thank you Gracelynn! Shall we go grab our plates, and bring them back here?" Emily asked.

"Grandma, don't be silly. I am perfectly capable of walking 20 feet to the dining room. It's really not a big deal. Paris hooked the baby and I up to monitors. As long as my heart rate stays within the normal range, and the baby keeps moving, everything is fine. I'm even allowed to work, as long as we keep the stress down, and my feet up. I can't be expected to just lay around in one place all day, or I'll go completely crazy. It's a violation of my constitutional rights.

"Really Ace?" Logan chuckled. "A violation of your constitutional rights? That's hilarious!"

"Hey, I remember you saying the same thing one time when you were supposed to be in bed all day."

"So you're stealing my lines now?"

"Just using them against you like any good wife." Rory told him.

"Well, should we go eat?" Emily asked.

"Yes, please! Come on, help me up."

"Yes ma'am!" Logan smiled, standing from his seat, and helping his wife up. "Lead the way Babe."

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * Next Morning * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Doctor Schultz, it's nice to see you." Veronica said as Doctor Schultz walked into the Huntzberger clinic. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing at all, I just came by to say hi and see how things are going. You look busy."

"We're just finishing up with our last patient of the morning. Come on in, make yourself at home."

"How is everything going here? Is there anything that I can help you with? Anything that you guys need?"

"No, not that I can think of. We just got a supply delivery yesterday, so we are good to go."

"Is everything running ok for you guys?"

"Yeah, it's been great! Things are running very smoothly here. It's a totally different experience than being in the ER, but I really like it. Everything is nice and mellow. It's a nice change. There is zero drama. It's actually very relaxing. We aren't rushing around like crazies to get things done, and we actually have all the time in the world to take care of our patients. It's almost like living on a completely different planet."

"They are definitely more mellow, that's for sure. You don't have anyone coming in with their fingers chopped off, or gunshot wounds."

"No, definitely not. Mostly just sick families, and a couple ankle sprains. Nothing major. It's definitely a big change."

"Well if you ever decide that you miss it, you are welcome to come visit the old stomping grounds at any time."

"Thank you Doctor Schultz, I will keep that in mind. Doctor Huntzberger, look who came to visit." Veronica said, seeing Logan exiting a patient room.

"Doctor Schultz! Look at what the cat dragged in! How are you? What can we do for you today?"

"I am doing well. I just came by to check on you guys. How has everything is going over here? Is there anything that you guys need, or that I can help you with? Anything that I can do to make things a little bit easier on you?"

"Everything is going great. Would you mind giving me just one second?"

"Sure, take your time." Doctor Schultz said as he leaned back against the reception desk.

"Hey Veronica, would you mind getting a school excuse for Miss. Givins? She can return to class tomorrow. She just needs the note, and then she's free to go."

"No problem." Veronica smiled, walking away to use the computer.

"Sorry about that." Logan said, turning back to Doctor Schultz.

"Things look like they are going well here."

"They are, everything is great. We've had a busy morning. Cold and flu season is still very present here in the city."

"It sure is. Is there anything that you guys need here? Is everything running ok for you?"

"Yeah, of course. We haven't had any problems at all. We're basically bathing in hand sanitizer these days, but otherwise everything is going really well. We've gotten into a really great rhythm, and haven't had any problems keeping everything clean and sanitized between patients. Some days I feel like we are choking on Lysol, but it's how we keep everyone safe."

"I remember those days well. Are you all stocked up on flu vaccines? How is your supply looking?"

"It's actually good. I figure if we start getting low, I'm sure the hospital has some than we can have brought over until we can get another delivery. Flu season should be over soon, so I think we'll be ok. Most people have already gotten the vaccine, so we probably shouldn't need any more until the fall. I don't really anticipate giving many more. Maybe a couple here and there, but otherwise we shouldn't even need the full supply that we've got."

"Good good. That is wonderful to hear. How are you doing? I know it's been a rough week for you."

"I am doing ok. It has definitely been a rough week. Luckily, Doctor Gellar took care of explaining things to my staff here, so I haven't had to answer many questions. They're just glad that I'm back. I'm kind of hoping that there aren't rumors flying around the hospital, and that things stay pretty quiet."

"Honestly, there hasn't been much going on over there. The board didn't do any interviews with your case because we knew that your attorney was handling it. I think the only people who have heard anything is the L&D team, and I talked to everyone on staff myself after you left on Monday, and then again this morning. They've all been told that the situation has been handled, and instructed to keep what happened to themselves. Anyone caught spreading rumors will face disciplinary actions."

"Thank you, that is good to hear. And thank you for yesterday. I appreciate you having my back."

"I just wanted to come by to check on you, and tell you that I am really sorry about the whole investigation thing. I never wanted any of that to happen to you."

"I know you didn't. You and I are cool. You honestly have nothing to apologize for. I appreciate you being so professional, and trying to handle everything quietly."

"It is my pleasure. How's your wife doing?"

"Rory is doing alright. She's upstairs in her office, if you'd like to go see her."

"Sure, I could definitely do that. I am surprised that she is here though."

"Rory isn't one to willingly sit around doing nothing. She basically needs a babysitter to make sure she rests."

"Doctor Huntzberger, I need your signature." Veronica said stepping up next to Logan with a piece of paper.

"Sure, no problem. I'm going to head upstairs with Doctor Schultz, to check on Rory. Call me if you need anything." Logan said as he signed his name.

"No problem. It was nice to see you Doctor Schultz."

"It was nice to see you too Veronica. Don't hesitate to call me if you guys need anything."

"Thank you Doctor Schultz, I will." Veronica said, then headed into the patient room with the paper Logan had just signed.

"Alright, let's head upstairs." Logan said as he led Doctor Schultz out of the office, and across the lobby of the HPG building. "Let's grab you a guest pass, then they'll let us go upstairs. I just need your ID."

"Doctor Huntzberger, what can I do for you?" the woman at the reception desk asked.

"I need a guest pass for Doctor Schultz. We're heading up to the 9th floor."

"No problem. Is your wife here today? I haven't seen her at all this week."

"She is. She's in her office resting. You may not see a lot of her for the next few months. She's officially on bed rest, but we're allowing her to come into the office as long as she agrees to stay put upstairs, and isn't running around all over the place. She'll be working from home a lot."

"Bed rest is harsh. I've been there. Tell her that I said hi and that I'm thinking about her."

"I will. Thank you Madeline."

"Are you having your lunch delivered today?"

"Most likely. I will let you know."

"Here's your guest pass."

"Thank you so much. Here you go." Logan said handing over the pass, then heading for the elevator.

"This building is very impressive."

"Thank you. My father put a lot of work into it. Rory is redecorating a little bit. Making it a look less gaudy. My Dad is a little more outlandish than Rory is, so none of this is at all her style. It's too stuffy for her."

"It's very professional."

"It is. Everything runs like a well-oiled machine here. It's pretty nice."

"It's definitely a much different atmosphere than the hospital."

"That's for sure. We have a more colorful dress code, and a whole lot more people."

"How many employees do you have here?"

"In this building? I believe around 5-600. But in the company? I don't even know. Rory can probably tell you that. She can tell you everybody's names too. I cheat off name tags a lot. People just think that I know who they are."

"I guess you're learning then, having everyone coming in as patients."

"I am, but I still kind of treat it like the ER. So far I haven't seen anyone here more than once. Although, one patient last week told me that I treated him in the hospital last year. I looked back at his chart, and sure enough, I casted his leg after a football accident with friends."

"It probably won't be the first time. You've been in the ER for a long time. You did very well there."

"I loved being in the ER. We were always busy, and there was very little down time. Every day was an adventure. I miss it, but I do like being here. It's nice being able to have a set schedule, and seeing my wife more. I actually really enjoy being home for dinner every night."

"It will be nice when your baby is born."

"That is very true."

"This is your first, right?"

"It is."

"I have four myself. The first one is a learning curve, but it gets easier after the first couple of months."

"That is what I have heard. It will be interesting to have a baby around. Well, actually, having two babies around. Rory and my sister are so close, our babies are probably going to be raised more as twins than cousins."

"It sounds like they will be best friends."

"Probably. Most of our friends already have kids, so it will be nice to be part of the parent club."

"Speaking of friends, your attorney friend yesterday was quite impressive."

"Yes, he definitely was. Collin and I have been friends since we were babies. He's become an amazing attorney. I was actually extremely impressed. I've never seen him in action like that. Collin was definitely in his element yesterday. Hey Doyle, you've met Doctor Schultz, right?" Logan asked as the men stepped off the elevator right as Doyle passed by.

"I have. It's nice to see you again Doctor Schultz. Are you guys coming to check on Rory?"

"We are. How is she doing?"

"She's asleep. She zonked out about an hour ago. I've been checking on her about every twenty minutes, or so."

"Thank you Doyle, I appreciated it."

"No problem. Let me know if you guys need anything."

"You know I will." Logan told him as he unlocked Rory's office door, and led Doctor Schultz inside.

"She looks very comfortable." Doctor Schultz said, seeing Rory sleeping on the couch with a blanket over her legs, and her computer on the floor next to her.

"Hey Babe . . . Do you want to wake up? Doctor Schultz is here."

"Hey . . ." Rory murmured as she slowly opened her eyes to see Logan crouching down next to her, gently stroking her hair.

"Hey, I'm sorry to wake you up, but Doctor Schultz came by to see us."

"Hey Doctor Schultz." Rory smiled, attempting to push herself up to a sitting position.

"Hey Mrs. Huntzberger. I'm so sorry to wake you."

"No, it's totally ok. I probably shouldn't be sleeping here anyway."

"Rory, don't be ridiculous. This is your company, you can nap whenever and wherever you want to." Logan told her.

"Yeah, but the office probably isn't the best place. I just didn't realize how tired I was."

"Pregnancy will do that to you. It's perfectly normal. How are you feeling? Are you doing alright?" Doctor Schultz asked.

"I'm ok. I've been a kind of tired lately, and always hungry."

"That is all perfectly normal. How is your blood pressure doing? Has it leveled back out?"

"I don't know, I haven't been paying attention to it. I honestly leave all of that up to Logan."

"I actually need to check her stats, would you like to help? You can see the monitors Doctor Gellar put her on." Logan offered.

"Sure, that sounds great, if it's ok with you guys of course."

"That is ok with me." Rory agreed as Logan moved across the room to Rory's desk, and pulled his medical bag out of a drawer.

"I started keeping an extra set of equipment here in Rory's office, just in case. I figured having an emergency supply in a couple different places in the building would cut back on response time, should something happen. Rory, which arm would you like?"

"Whichever is easiest."

"Will you pull up the app for me?" Logan asked, handing Rory his phone.

"Sure. Your Mom texted."

"I know. I'll answer her later. I've been busy."

"Do you want me to answer her?"

"You can if you want. They are making plans for her to transition home in a couple of weeks."

"Oh joy! More amazon shopping!"

"No, because she'll be home, she can actually go to the mall."

"If I wasn't already on bed rest, I might be tempted to beg." Rory said with a roll of her eyes.

"You don't like shopping?" Doctor Schultz asked.

"No, I do. It's just that Logan's Mom can be pretty overwhelming. I would rather be stuck in bed than be drug around shopping with her all day. She's gone kind of nuts shopping for the babies. And she seems to forget that they are babies, and not ten year old's."

"My mom keeps buying stuff on amazon that isn't at all appropriate for babies." Logan explained. "Rory is at 90 systolic 60 diastolic."

"That is really low. What medication did Doctor Gellar put her on?"

"She is on Procardia."

"I'm guessing twice daily?"

"That is correct."

"Let's try cutting the dose in half, and see what happens. If it goes back up too high, we can try a different dosage, but usually cutting the dose in half works to level patients out. For now, let's get some salt in her. It should help boost her levels up a little bit. We don't want Rory's blood pressure to get too low with the baby. She may have been too high before, but her pressure tanking isn't good for the baby either."

"I'm good with that." Logan agreed, taking his phone from Rory, and showing it to Doctor Schultz. "This is the app for the monitors that Paris put her on."

"It is really nice that there are apps available now. We used to have to count on an outside service to send us the patient's numbers. It would take several hours, and the information wasn't as accurate as it is now."

"This top set of information is Rory's, and the bottom one is the baby. It shows the baby's heart rate, movement, kick counter, placenta pumping rate and fluid level surrounding the baby."

"This is really impressive. You have all of the information that you need right here, without your wife having to be inpatient."

"I am really enjoying it. I have been able to check on her for the last couple of hours while I've been working in the clinic, without having to bug her about how she's doing, or interrupt patients. I still check everything myself every couple of hours or so, depending on where she is at during the previous check. Rory probably hates being married to a doctor by now."

"Not yet, but I am definitely starting to see how annoying it can get. But I do agree that it is convenient and makes it so I don't have to sit in the hospital, bored out of my mind. Logan tried to hire me a babysitter to watch me at home, but settled for letting Paris' husband watch me here."

"You guys spend a lot of time together." Doctor Schultz commented.

"We really do. But it works for us." Logan told him. "Rory and I make a really good team. There is no one else that I would rather spend all of my time with. Babe, let me borrow your finger. I'm sure your oxygen is fine, but I want to check just in case."

"Yeah yeah yeah." Rory muttered holding her hand out for the oxygen meter.

"You are a much more willing patient than my wife is. My kids completely hate it."

"I get double duty between Logan and Doctor Gellar."

"I imagine she is pretty intense."

"She's been that way since the day I met her in high school. Paris hasn't changed very much."

"She's more mellow with her kids though." Logan commented.

"That is true. The twins have been a complete game changer for her. I never knew that Paris actually had a soft side, until she had them. She's an amazing mother."

"Paris' kids are very well behaved. And they speak two languages."

"Aren't Doctor Gellar's kids like two?" Doctor Schultz asked.

"They just turned 3." Rory confirmed.

"And they speak two languages?"

"They do. They have a hispanic nanny. It is important to Paris that her kids learn other languages. Paris speaks four languages fluently. I wouldn't be surprised if her kids were fluent in four languages before starting kindergarten."

"That is incredible! I knew that Doctor Gellar spoke a couple different languages, but I had no idea that she is fluent in four of them."

"Paris speaks Farci, English, Spanish, and German. And I believe she knows a lot of French and Italian, but I don't think she has become fluent in those yet."

"Wow! That is unique. Farci? What made her decide on that one?"

"Paris likes to be different."

"That she does." Doctor Schultz chuckled. "Doctor Gellar is a fountain of knowledge."

"Yes she is. She is one of the reasons that I made it through medical school. I wouldn't have survived without her, no matter how badly I wanted to prove to her that she was completely wrong about me." Logan told them.

"Why didn't you go into the same field as Doctor Gellar?"

"Because I have no interest in ever working with Paris Gellar." Logan laughed. "I might kill myself if you ever made me for an extended period of time. Paris and I are good friends because of Rory, but I am definitely not immune to her insanity. Paris is A LOT to handle, even on her best days. I would rather die than be stuck in an office with her all day long. I have no idea how any of her staff do it."

"They rotate out between her office and L&D." Doctor Schultz told them. "No one has been willing to be stuck in the same office as her, day in and day out. They all seem to enjoy their jobs, but they need a break from her, just like you. That department all rotates out between the OBGYN clinic and L&D."

"That is probably a smart move."

"Amazingly enough, even with all the rotations, that department runs smoother than all of the other departments within the hospital. I don't quite understand how exactly it is possible, but it somehow works, so I have learned to stop questioning it."

"Probably a good idea."

"Doctor Gellar is a very good leader."

"Yes she is." Rory agreed. "She's bossy, but she knows her stuff."

"So she is taking good care of you then?"

"Yes she is. I have the two best doctors in the hospital at my beck and call."

"That you do. Doctor Huntzberger, don't you have a training seminar coming up soon, that you were taking time off for?"

"You're right, I do. I completely forgot about it with everything that has been going on lately. I am supposed to be in Philadelphia the 20th-24th. I'll be postponing my continued education and training this year. I am pretty sure my wife's condition qualifies me for an exemption.

"Yes, it definitely does."

"I was originally planning to take her with me, but all things considered, traveling isn't the best idea for her right now."

"NYU has a summer symposium that you might be interested in attending. It won't give you all the credit hours that you need, but it will definitely get you close. If you choose to attend that weekend, you may be able to do an online class to finish up your credits. Or you can choose to go to another conference. There are a few others throughout the country."

"I'll look online and figure something out."

"Just let me know what you decide to do, and I will make sure that you have coverage in the clinic."

"I will, thank you."

"There is a medical conference in Orlando that I usually go to. My kids enjoy spending a week at Disney World and Universal Studios while I am at the conference. The last day of the conference is spent volunteering at the Give Kids The World."

"What is Give Kids The World?" Rory asked.

"It's the resort where the medically fragile kids who travel with groups like the Make A Wish Foundation, stay. It is entirely built around those children's specific needs, and caters to giving them a magical experience that they wouldn't be able to get elsewhere. There are doctors and nurses rotating through the resort to help take care of the kids, and assist with anything that they might need during their stay."

"That sounds incredible!"

"It's a lot of fun. I've been going for about ten years now, and my wife and I volunteer our time a couple of times a year. You should look into going sometime. Maybe when your kid is a few years old, and able to enjoy the parks."

"That is a great idea." Logan agreed.

"Doctor Schultz, did you know that Logan was accepted to Doctors Without Borders?"

"I did not. I sent off the recommendation he asked, but I never hear anything after that."

"I was accepted a few months ago, but I turned it down. It wasn't the best timing. I applied before Rory and I were together, and I with everything going on, there is no way that I can drop everything and go live overseas for 18 months. It would have been a great experience, but I am very happy with where I am at right now. But thank you very much for the recommendation. I appreciate it."

"I was happy to help with it. It definitely would have been an unique opportunity for you, but I do agree that you are in a very good place right now. Sometimes things happen for a reason."

"Yes, they do." Logan agreed. "It would have been great to be able to go, but I can't imagine my life any other way right now. I am very happy."

"There are loads of other opportunities for talented doctors such as yourself. I'm sure that Doctors Without Borders won't be the only avenue to open to you."


	74. Chapter 74

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

It's been a long day, and I've only been awake for about 3 hours. Two of the those hours were spent arguing with Amazon to get my daughter's tablet replaced after she got it wet playing with water when I've told her a billion times that water is not only off limits, but that it will ruin her tablet. Amazon needs an Autism parent line. I would love to be able to call in with a problem, and talk to someone who actually understands my nightmare, and wants to fix it.

We are moving in 11 days, and I have so much to do. In the next 3 days, I have to get 30 masks made for a friend, and my sewing machine just jammed. I swear, all bad things happen at the absolute worst possible time. But I guess the upside is that you guys are benefiting from it because I got an extra chapter done last night, and taking a break from sewing means that I have time to post it. I really should be cleaning and doing laundry though. LOL

I hope all of you are remaining safe and healthy.

Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I have been cracking up reading them lately. Thank you so much! You guys really keep me going. I really look forward to reading every single one of them. I've even responded to a few, so check your messages!

* * *

_**Thursday March 30, 2017**_

_**Rothschild Home**_

"What time is Mom getting in tomorrow?" Logan asked as he helped Honor make a bed in one of her guest rooms.

"10am. Are you still able to do the second airport run?"

"I'm having Frank do it. 1pm, right?"

"I believe so. Jimmy and Helen are flying in with their parents."

"Is anyone else coming?"

"Not this time. I didn't want to overwhelm mom or Rory. If all goes well, maybe after the babies are born, we can all take a trip out to Oklahoma to see everyone."

"They aren't staying here, right?"

"No, they are staying at the Double Tree. I thought about letting them stay here, but they are complete strangers to us. They may be family, but it's a little weird. Mom hasn't seen any of them in over 37 years, and you and I have never met them. I kind of feel bad, but I just don't really feel right about having people we don't know staying in our home. I would have had all of us meet them at the hotel or something, but Rory is on bed rest, and I didn't want Mom uncomfortable with nowhere to escape to if she needs to get away."

"So what is the plan for this weekend?"

"Mom will be here with her therapist at ten. Gayle is staying for a week before going back to California. This weekend, we help Mom reconnect with her parents, brother and sister, and then they fly back on Monday. Did you get Mom's birthday cake ordered?"

"Lorelai is bringing it up on Saturday."

"Sookie?"

"Who else? You told me to order a cake, and that is the only place that I know of to get a cake."

"You can get cakes at the grocery store, but that was definitely the best choice."

"Maybe we should have hired Sookie to come up and cook for everyone this weekend."

"I actually thought about that, but I didn't want to pull her away from her family. I'm having Mirabello's cater tomorrow, and then Saturday I got La Puerta, and Sunday we'll go out somewhere unless you want to order something. I figured with Rory being on bed rest I would leave you Sunday to spend with your wife. I'm happy to entertain Mom's family by myself for a day so you two can have some time together."

"It's fine. Lorelai is coming up to hang out with Rory so I can help you with the family stuff. Rory isn't exactly Mom's favorite person and she doesn't want to interfere with Mom's birthday, or Mom reconnecting with her family. She'll come over with Emily for a little while tomorrow, but then she's going to go back home and hang out with her Mom and Grandparents. They have a lot of stuff going on with finishing the addition."

"When is it supposed to be completed?"

"About 2-3 weeks. Emily needs to finish picking out whatever paint, wallpaper and appliances and stuff she wants, and then it's on to decorating."

"And the only person who is pickier about décor than I am, is Emily."

"Exactly! Emily and Lorelai will probably do some shopping and leave Rory home to rest with Richard taking care of her."

"I think Rory will love that. She is super close with her Grandfather."

"Yes she is."

"Make sure they all know that they are welcome to join us this weekend."

"They know, but they are going to do their own thing. They may stop in to say hi, but Rory is insisting on not interfering with Mom's family. It's Mom's birthday, and Rory doesn't want to take any of her attention away."

"I don't think that Rory will be any kind of distraction, but I understand why she feels that way. Rory and Mom don't have the best history."

"Exactly. Rory is more comfortable staying away. She wants me to get to know the extended family with you, and not worry about her, so she asked her family to come help out."

"So you'll basically be present, but watching Rory's monitors on your phone the entire time."

"But at least I'll be present, right?"

"I love you baby brother, and I love how unbelievably dedicated you are to your wife and daughter, but sometimes I just want to slap you."

"Why would you want to slap me?"

"The monitors will alert you if something is wrong. There is no need for you to be so hyper focused on them."

"I know. It's been a few weeks, and I've gotten better about it. But it's also a learning experience for me."

"How is it a learning experience?"

"I've never dealt with pregnancy before, so watching what is going on with Rory and the baby fascinates me. The only person who cares that your placenta pumps, is Paris. I literally sit here watching Rory's feed our daughter. Every pump gives oxygen, blood, and food to my daughter. It gives my daughter life, and I can't help but want to watch it. If it was safe to sit there with an ultrasound on Rory's stomach 24/7, I would. And trust me, I wish that I could. You have no idea how hard it is for me to not go borrow the machine from my office, and sit here watching my daughter all day and night."

"Hey, speaking of borrowing machines . . . Mom hasn't been able to go to any of my appointments. Do you think that maybe you might be willing to help me out with that? I mean, I could always go to one of those fetal photo places, but I figured it would be more special if you could do it."

"You know that technically I could get into a lot of trouble for doing that."

"Well, technically you could, yes. But who would actually know about it?"

"You want me to risk my career so you can show Mom your baby."

"Well when you put it like that . . ."

"I'm kidding, of course I'll do it. I'm just giving you crap. Just tell me when you want me to do it, and we can either go down to the office, or I can bring the machine here."

"Have I ever told you that you are my favorite brother in the whole world?"

"Please, I'm your ONLY brother!"

"Potato, po-tat-o."

"I love you too." Logan chuckled, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"Really Logan?! You are supposed to be helping me!"

"I'm just checking the time. I have an appointment at eleven."

"It's only ten. You don't have to leave for another half hour. Grab the blanket off the chair. And you weren't checking the time. You are wearing a watch."

"My gosh you're bossy!"

"Rory is sitting in her office right where you left her, trying to work. You need to relax."

"That is easy for you to say."

"If it were be on best rest and hooked up to monitors, would you be this obsessed?"

"Yeah, probably."

"No you wouldn't."

"Of course I would! I worry about you all the time, which is exactly why I'm over here in the first place. I came over to help you get your house ready for Mom to come home."

"And because Rory kicked you out because you are making her crazy."

"She did not."

"Do you really want to deny it? Because I can call Rosalinda right now."

"Stop picking on me."

"You need a life." Honor told him.

"I have a life, thank you very much."

"You know, I didn't think that it was possible for you to ever get more pathetic than you were before Rory came back into your life."

"What are you talking about? I am NOT pathetic!"

"Yes, you are! You used to sulk over not having her, and waste your time googling her name, just so you could try to find out what she was up to. Now you spend all of your time stalking her monitors."

"You make it sound like I'm a creeper or something."

"Because you are!"

"Do you want my help? Because I can just leave and go home if you are going to keep picking on me."

"You would like that way too much."

"Is it my fault that I'm still a newlywed and you aren't?! I happen to enjoy spending all of my time with my wife."

"And before you know it, you'll be 11 years in too."

"You make it sound so bad."

"No, it's not bad at all. I'm just saying that I used to be like you and couldn't wait to spend every second with my husband."

"You don't like spending time with Josh?"

"No Logan, that isn't what I am saying at all. What I am saying is that you are still in that cute newlywed stage of wanting to be together 24/7. But one day when you get to where Josh and I are, where we've been married for 11 years, you'll see that you still love each other just as much, but you don't need to be together all the time. You guys are both your own people, apart from each other, and I think that maybe sometimes you tend to forget that. It's great to be so devoted to your wife and to your marriage, but you need to take some time for yourself too. It's ok to be your own person, apart from your marriage."

"I happen to enjoy spending all my time with my wife."

"I know you do. And I also know that you are trying to make up for the 9 years that you were apart. But you need to know that you don't have to do that. Rory isn't asking you to cram 9 years of being apart into the first 6 months of you two being back together."

"I know that. And I'm not trying to do that either. I'm just enjoying being with Rory because I know exactly what it feels like to be alone."

"And somewhere in the back of your head, whether you want to admit to it or not, a tiny little part of you is completely terrified that she'll disappear all over again."

"How the hell do you know that?!" Logan asked, completely shocked by Honor's words.

"Because I'm your sister, and I know you better than you even know yourself.

"Really Honor, how do you know about that?"

"Because I've spent a lot of time with you over the years. A lot of miserable drunken nights watching you wallow in your own misery. I was there with you when no one else was. I've picked up the pieces of your shattered heart, more times than I think either of us can count. But let me tell you this . . . Rory isn't going anywhere. She loves you, and she is so happy with the life that you two have built together. There is absolutely no reason for you to be worrying about her being unhappy and walking away from you. There is nowhere else that Rory would ever dream of being."

"How can you be so sure about that?"

"Because that goopy look you get on your face when you look at her, or talk about her, Rory gets the exact same one. You two were made for each other. You are both completely and hopelessly in love with each other. But mark my words, one day you will wake up, and realize that you haven't had sex in several days, or even touched your wife except maybe by accident while handing her something, because you've both been so busy lately. You might talk to each other on the phone several times during the day, but you'll be lucky if you even kiss her once."

"Honor, that's insane!" Logan told her, completely baffled by his sister's words.

"I promise you, it happens."

"I understand that the constant sex fizzles out because life happens, because we've been there before. But the rest of it . . ."

"When you and Rory were together back at Yale, you can't tell me that you didn't go days without touching or kissing her."

"No, never! Only when I was living in London, or in New York. But before all of that, never. I've always made sure to kiss her several times a day."

"Well trust me, it happens."

"That's just sad."

"It's life."

"No, I refuse to believe that."

"Ask Mom and Dad."

"Mom and Dad's relationship has sucked from the very beginning."

"Ask Emily and Richard then. They've been together for over 50 years. I promise you, they'll tell you exactly the same thing that I am. It doesn't happen right away, but it definitely does happen. And you won't even realize it until it's too late."

"That makes me really sad for you."

"Don't be sad for me. Josh and I have a great relationship. We are very much still in love. I'm just saying that you are making your relationship a huge priority right now, and you rightfully should be. But I'm saying that one day it won't always be that way. Your relationship will still be a priority, but things change. Life changes you. One day you won't be able to remember the last time you kissed, or even touched your wife."

"No, I won't let that happen."

"You say that now . . ."

"And I'm going to promise you that I won't ever let that happen."

"I'm sure that you will do your best, but like it or not, it's life. It's part of growing up."

"Yeah, and on that note, I'm going to go home and kiss my wife before I have to go see a patient. And then when I get back, I'm going to kiss her again. Because what you are telling me is completely ridiculous, and I refuse to have any part in that."

"Logan, you've been married for less than 6 months. Give it another 8 years, and then tell me about your love life."

"We'll see. I love you, but I have to go."

"Good luck!" Honor said, watching as her brother left the room, and headed home.

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * 5 Minutes Later * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Rory!" Logan called as he ran up the stairs to where his wife was working in her office.

"Mr. Logan, she's is on the phone in her office." Rosalinda, the Huntzberger's housekeeper told him as she met him at the top step.

"Thank you Rosalinda. I have to leave for the office in a few minutes, but I'll be back as soon as I am done with the two patients that I have scheduled.

"Your wife will be fine Mr. Logan. I promise you. You go see your patients. Be a good doctor."

"Thank you Rosalinda. I'll bring back some lunch for all of us when I'm finished."

"No no, I took care of it. Your lunch is already cooking. You go see your patients, and we'll eat when you get back."

"What are you making?"

"Chicken tortilla soup and fresh bread."

"Thank you Rosalinda. You are amazing!"

"The groomer picked up Rocky. He'll be home in a few hours."

"Oh, excellent! I forgot all about that."

"Mr. Logan, that is why you have me. You leave everything to Rosalinda. Don't you worry at all. You go see your patients. Be a good doctor."

"Thank you Rosalinda. You take amazing care of us."

"It's no problem. No problem at all. Now go!"

"I will. I just need to kiss my wife."

"Well go kiss her, and get going. You don't need to be late. Move along." Rosalinda told him, then watched as Logan walked down the hall, and headed into Rory's office.

"Hi Baby." Rory smiled as Logan walked in the door, and quickly moved across the room to where Rory was lounging in the widow seat with her feet up, working on her computer. With one hand, Logan grabbed Rory's computer and set it on the floor while pulling her up from her seat and with the other, immediately wrapping her in his arms, and kissing her as passionately as he could. "Wow! What the heck has gotten into you?" Rory asked a moment later, after they finally broke the kiss.

"I love you."

"I love you too. But again, what the heck has gotten into you?"

"Nothing. I don't know . . . Maybe something that Honor said."

"What did Honor say?"

"It's completely stupid."

"Well it's obviously got you completely freaked out."

"Well yeah! You would be freaked out too."

"Logan . . ."

"Honor was saying that you and I have this great relationship right now, where we spend all this time together. We're always touching and kissing, and we have sex every night and a lot of the time in the morning, and we are always in each other's arms. But she says that it doesn't last. That one day we'll wake up and not even remember the last time that we kissed, or touched each other. That we will be so busy with our lives that this stuff just won't be so important to us anymore. And that completely terrifies me! I feel so sad for her! But then she swears that it happens to everybody, and said to ask your grandparents. Well, first she said to ask our Mom and Dad, but I reminded her that their relationship has sucked from the very beginning. But then she said to ask your grandparents. She says that all of this togetherness stuff is going to change in the next 8-10 years, and I can't even fathom that. Because I love you, and I love spending every single second of my day with you. I know that eventually, we won't have sex all the time. I mean, we've been there, and realistically, we're having a baby in the next two months, and obviously we aren't going to even be able to for several weeks after Ayribella is born, but the rest of it doesn't need to change. And I don't want it to change. I can't even imagine not touching or kissing you every day. We haven't even spent a single night apart since we got back together. And I love that about us. I really love it. There are some couples that are together for decades, and never spend a single night apart. I want that for us. I want to be that disgustingly sweet couple. Because I love you and I absolutely hate the thought of having to ever be away from you. You are the most important person in my life, and I never want that to change."

"Well I hate to break it to you, but your sister is completely right. It does happen. To everyone, whether you want it to, or not."

"That REALLY sucks!"

"It does, but it's life."

"So let's change that. Let's be different. Let's make it a point to never let that happen to us."

"Baby, I'm not sure if we can even promise to never turn out like that. I'm pretty sure that it's something that just naturally happens, without you even realizing it."

"So we make it a point to be different, and to make sure that it doesn't happen to us."

"Logan . . ."

"I went almost 9 years without holding you in my arms, and without kissing you. And they were without a doubt the most horrible, lonely years of my entire life. I know what it's like to be away from you, and I completely hate it. So let's be different. It might be a little bit hard sometimes, but we can do it. We just need to try. I can't imagine not holding you every day, and kissing you as much as I want, and telling you just how much I love you. That has to really suck!"

"I can imagine that it does suck. And we have been there."

"So let's not ever go back. Let's make it a point to never do that again. Let's make a deal that no matter what is going on, we'll still find time for us, every day. Even if it's just for twenty minutes. We'll find time for us to just be together, just like we are right now. We'll find some time to just be us, and be happy being in love with each other. I don't care if it means that we can't go on business trips alone. I don't mind that at all. I just want to make sure that we always have time for us."

"Ok. If you are so freaked out about this, and it means this much to you, we'll try. But I'm telling you, life happens, and you won't even realize it."

"Well life is a cruel cruel joke!"

"You are ridiculous."

"Now you sound like my sister."

"Don't you have patients to go see?"

"Two of them."

"Well then you should get going."

"I'm going to. But I wanted to come tell you that I love you, and I appreciate you so much. Every single thing that you do for me, and for our family. Thank you for carrying our daughter, and taking such amazing care of her. And thank you for being here, and for loving me and always taking care of me, even when I'm a pain in the butt to deal with. I love you, and I appreciate you so much."

"I love you too baby. And I appreciate you so much too. But really, you should get going. We can talk about this later on."

"What time are your grandparents coming?"

"They are on their way. Grandma said some time around noon."

"Rosalinda is making an amazing lunch for us."

"I know, she told me."

"Her chicken tortilla soup is amazing!"

"She told me that you love it."

"I am really excited to get back to eat."

"Well then get going. The sooner you go, the sooner you can get home."

"Fine. Let's get you settled back in your spot." Logan said placing a kiss on Rory's lips then helping her get settled back in the window seat. "Call me if you need anything, ok?"

"I promise."

"I love you."

"I love you too Baby." Rory smiled, kissing her husband one last time before he turned and headed for the door. "Hey Logan?"

"Yeah?" Logan asked, turning to face Rory again before stepping through the doorway.

"Chocolate mini donuts."

"You've got it."

"I love you. Please be safe."

"I will. I love you more."

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * 12:30pm * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Grandma, I see no difference between those three paint colors. They look exactly the same to me." Rory said, sitting at the dining room table, looking over her grandmother's design choices for their new apartment.

"Don't be so silly, they are completely different! This one right here is Chantilly lace, this one is alabaster, and this one is snowbound."

"Grandma, they are all white. They look exactly the same."

"Richard, what do you think? Which do you like better." Emily asked.

"Oh no, I am staying out of this one. Whichever you think is best will be perfect for the kitchen cabinets." Richard chuckled.

"Rosalinda, will you come give me your opinion of these paint samples?"

"Oh Mrs. Emily, you have exquisite taste! I can't possibly make that decision for you."

"Grandma, what color appliances did you pick out?"

"We went with stainless steel. That way no matter what colors we pick for the rest of the kitchen, the appliances will still blend in nicely."

"What about going with a different color? Maybe try something completely different. Your kitchen at home has white cabinets. What about going with something bright and cheerful? I once saw a kitchen with whiteish gray marble counters, Tiffany blue cabinets and white walls. Or maybe you can paint everything gray with white trim. It's subtle but elegant. Or you can go with stark white and use bright towels and furniture to offset it. What color are you painting the walls?" Rory asked, as she turned on her computer, and pulled up pictures of different kitchen styles. "Grandma, check this out. This accent wall over the stove is blue and white floral mosaic tiles, and it's really pretty. It looks like the cabinets are white, and they even have stainless steel appliances. Or this kitchen has bright red cabinets and white stools at the bar. Or here is one that is white, blue and brown. It's very pretty. Very elegant.

"I do like that one. Although the brown trim around the cabinets I would want to match the floor. They should be the same shade of brown." Emily agreed, looking over Rory's shoulder.

"So let's do this then. I'll e-mail it over to the contractor and tell him to make sure that the wood trim around the island cabinets matches the floor."

"Ok, that is perfect!"

"Do you want the same thing with the lighter blue for the wall cabinets or do you want the wall cabinets to be a baby blue and the island cabinets to be the darker blue?"

"I want them all to be the darker blue. I really like that color. It's more regal."

"I agree. I am sending the picture over right now. So we can accessorize the kitchen with either white furniture to match the walls, or we could go with the same wood color. I think that would look nice as well."

"Mrs. Rory, would you like me to serve your lunch right now?" Rosalinda asked.

"Yes Rosalinda, now would be great." Logan answered as he walked into the dining room. "I'm starving!"

"Logan, it's so nice that you could come home for lunch today." Emily smiled as Logan kissed his wife, before joining the group at the table.

"I only had a couple of appointments today, so I went in just for those. I am all yours for the rest of the day. What are we doing?"

"We just picked the paint colors for Grandma's kitchen." Rory told him.

"You might want to run." Richard advised.

"Oh, I've heard stories about Gilmore women and paint chips." Logan told him.

"Mom is the worst! Grandma was just trying to decide between 3 shades of white. Chantilly lace, snowbound and alabaster." Rory explained.

"I would go with Chantilly lace just because the name is pretty."

"You are such a man!"

"Which one did you choose?"

"They all look exactly the same to me."

"So then choose the one with the pretty name."

"You sound like Lorelai." Emily told him.

"This coming from the man who dresses better than all of us, and is picky as hell about his hair." Rory commented.

"Hey, there is nothing wrong with a man who knows how to dress himself. Logan has always been a very handsome man, with impeccable style. I have never had any reason to worry about his fashion choices. Your mother on the other hand . . ."

"I remember the rhinestone penis shirt, Grandma."

"Emily, did you really have Lorelai's car towed? Over that?"

"She had on phallic clothing!" Emily defended herself.

"So you had her car towed rather than sending her to change. Doesn't that make it so that she can't go home to change, and leave her stuck with you looking at the horrible shirt choice?"

"There was another day that she wore pants with the word juicy on the rear."

"Hey, Rory has some of those, and I have zero complaints!"

"Lorelai made the comment that they were better than a brazier with the word tasty on it."

"I'm not sure that I would really have a problem with that either. Thank you Rosalinda. This smells amazing!"

"I made your favorites Mr. Logan. How were your patients?"

"They were nice and easy. They both just needed referrals to specialists. We talked, I referred them to someone who would better help them, and they left happy."

"That reminds me, Logan. I was going to ask you. Richard's cardiologist is retiring, and we need to find him a new one. Is there someone that you would recommend?"

"The only one that I've worked with, is my Dad's and he's here at Columbia. Does that work for you, or would you like one closer to Hartford?"

"I don't mine either one. We will take whoever you think is best."

"I like Doctor Levine. He's been great for my Dad. And if you guys want me to, I am happy to consult on Richard's care. It's entirely up to you. You are free to say no and tell me to mind my own business."

"No, not at all, having you consult would be great. Thank you Logan." Richard told him as he took a bite of Rosalinda's soup. "Rosalinda, this soup is amazing!"

"Thank you Mr. Gilmore! That is very kind of you to say."

"Rosalinda, I hope you made a ton of this bread because I'm going to need it to get through the rest of this pregnancy." Rory told her. "I forgot how completely amazing homemade bread tastes."

"There is plenty Mrs. Rory. I can always make you more."

"Rosalinda, I love you! You are my favorite!"

"Why thank you Mrs. Rory. You are my favorite as well." Rosalinda smiled, as she headed back to the kitchen.

"So Logan, we hear your Mother transitions home tomorrow?" Richard asked.

"She does. She'll be staying with Honor until mom and Dad find their own place in the area, however long that takes. They want to get a place in the city, and then split time between there and the house in Hartford."

"Don't they already have a place in the city?" Rory asked. "I believe the property over looks central park. HPG has about 5 properties in the city, and I was told that one of them was your parents city residence."

"That would be where they used to stay, but it is sounding like they want to get a new one."

"Then I'll sell their current one. There is no reason why I need to be paying for a home that they don't even live in, that isn't being used. I don't see why there are so many properties that your Dad purchased but sit unused. It's ridiculous how much money he's wasted over the years. I understand buying properties to either live in or use as rental income, but letting the properties sit completely unused is a complete waste!"

"I agree with you. There is no reason for it. You can sell whatever you want to."

"I mean I guess I can understand him wanting to have somewhere to stay during long trips, but hotels are much less expensive, and you get all the same amenities if you get a suite. There is no need to have 30 different unused properties."

"Is that how many he has?" Richard asked.

"I think it's only 15, but that's still way too many." Rory told him.

"You might want to make sure that they are all vacant before you sell them." Logan told her.

"Why wouldn't they be vacant?"

"Because it's my Dad, and he was never exactly faithful in his marriage. For all I know, he could have some woman living in one of the properties."

"Are you serious?!"

"I don't know. I'm just saying."

"EEEEWWWWW!"

"We'll have someone check the properties for us. I would ask my Dad, but I'm not sure that now is such a good time to have that sort of discussion."

"Yes, definitely not." Richard agreed.

"You know about the property in London, right?" Rory asked.

"The two properties in London. Yes, one of those was mine."

"Do we need two London properties?"

"Probably not. But you liked my place in London."

"Logan, how often are we actually there?"

"We can't be right now because of the pregnancy. But my Dad used to spend several months a year in London. We may want to keep at least one of them. The London office is the main headquarters, overseas."

"You and I need to look into liquidating some of this real estate."

"I agree. We'll do that next week."

"Oh, Paris called while you were gone. I have an appointment at 4."

"She texted me."

"Grandma, Grandpa you are welcome to come with us, if you'd like." Rory told them.

"That's ok Sweetie, we have some shopping to do for the apartment. I promised Emily we would go check out an estate sale this afternoon." Richard told her.

"Do you guys want to take Rory's SUV? That way you can bring back anything that you find." Logan suggested. We can take my car to Rory's appointment."

"That may not be such a bad idea." Richard agreed.

"Great! After we're done eating, I'll get the seats folded down for you, that way you have plenty of room. Just have whatever you buy loaded into the car, and Josh, Blake and I will unload it when you get back."

"Thank you Logan. That is very kind of you." Emily told him. "I am very excited!"


	75. Chapter 75

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

I am so sorry I haven't gotten you guys any updates for several days. It's been a busy week. We were approved for the new home we are moving to, and our move date was pushed from the 24th to the 27th. However. we JUST got boxes today because it took until yesterday afternoon to get all the expenses approved by the corporate people from my husband's work. Doing corporate moves is so much easier than regular moves, because the company pays for everything. However. they tend to only give us 10 days to get everything done, even though they let us know a month or so ahead of time, that a move is coming. But at least they pay for all the moving supplies and stuff, so it saves us money. However, living in a super tiny town, I had to drive a freaking hour to the Uhaul store today, just to get boxes. I have my kids toys all packed up, 2 boxes per kid, which a small amount left out for them to play with for the next week, and 4 large trash bags of toys being donated to families who are less fortunate. I've also gotten a ton of the kids old clothes gathered up for donation as well. We are downsizing from a 3 bedroom house, to a two bedroom apartment, so we definitely don't need all the stuff we've accumulated. The sad thing is that before we moved to where we are now, we were in a two bedroom apartment, which we had also downsized to. It's amazing how much stuff you accumulate in 10 months. And yes, we just moved 10 months ago. This is move number 5 in two years. And let me tell you, moving during a national pandemic . . . NOT the greatest thing in the world. LOL

I'm not sure how much time I will have to write in the next week, but I am going to be doing my best. I definitely will be needing breaks from packing because otherwise I will just make myself completely crazy.

Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I have been cracking up reading them lately. Thank you so much! You guys really keep me going. I really look forward to reading every single one of them. I've even responded to a few, so check your messages!

* * *

"Logan, Honey, where is Rory?" Shira asked as Logan sat watching her unpack her things after arriving at Honor's house.

"She's at home resting. Rory is on bed rest"

"Still? When are her doctors planning to lift those orders?"

"When Ayribella is born. Rory's pregnancy is very high risk."

"Does this mean that you only get the one child?"

"Not that I am aware of. We'll see how Rory is doing after she recovers. But if we only get to have one baby, that is totally fine."

"Don't you want multiple children?"

"Only if it is safe to do so."

"You always wanted to have a big family."

"Priorities change, Mom. I won't risk my wife's health so I can be selfish and have a ton of kids. Rory comes first."

"How far along is she now?"

"28 weeks."

"So not too much longer."

"Only 8-10 more weeks. Rory will be delivering early."

"But isn't that dangerous for the baby?"

"The longer Rory can go, the better it is for Ayribella. But even if she was born today, she has a strong fighting chance. In another two weeks, Rory will get the steroid shot to help the baby's lungs develop faster, that way there are less risks to delivering early."

"Are you prepared for the baby to come early?"

"I really don't think that anyone is ever fully prepared for a baby, but yes. We have everything we need if Ayribella were to be born today."

"But you haven't even had a baby shower yet."

"No we haven't, but there is nothing that we need. Anything that we are given is an added bonus. We actually aren't asking for gifts at all. Rory and I are fortunate enough that we can more than provide for our own child. Rather than ask for gifts at her baby showers, Rory is partnering with a charity here in the city, as well as one in Hartford, and she is donating gifts to mothers who are less fortunate than we are. All the invitations that went out let people know that we are celebrating Rory and the baby, but that in lieu of gifts we suggest a donation. Rory and I have already made large donations to both places."

"Well isn't that kind of you."

"It's the least that we can do after everything that we've been blessed with."

"So you really don't need anything else then?"

"Mom, you've already bought us way too much. We appreciate your enthusiasm and help, but we really don't need anything. We have more than enough. Why don't we talk about something else. Your birthday is on Monday. What would you like to do? I'll take you to lunch, dinner, breakfast . . . Would you like a spa day? Maybe get your hair and nails done? What would you like? What can I do for you to make your day special?"

"You want to take me out?"

"Mom, come on, don't act all shocked that I want to do something nice for you. It's your birthday. Let's do something."

"Logan, you usually just send flowers and a nice gift."

"I know that, but I'm trying to be better. What would you like to do? Rory isn't able to do anything, but I thought it might be nice for the two of us to do something together. Maybe even do something with Dad and Honor. We can spend the day together as a family. It might be the last chance that we have time to do something before the babies are born. So what would you like? What would make your birthday special?"

"I guess maybe we could do lunch."

"Do you want a spa day? What would you like? Lunch is only about an hour event. Maybe two. Your birthday lasts all day."

"Shouldn't you be working?"

"I was going to take the day off, unless you don't want me to. It's your choice, Mom. I'm making an effort to be a better son, and to spend more time with you. I never got to do that growing up, and we've never had the best relationship because of it. I promised to do my best to break the cycle, so that is what I am trying to do. I want to give you the best birthday I can. Just like I do for Rory. You don't have to decide right now. You have a few days to think about it. But whatever you decide, we'll do it. Just you and I, unless you want to spend the day with someone else, or include other people."

"That sounds nice Logan. I'll think about it. Thank you Sweetie."

"I'm sorry that you didn't get to be a better Mom to us. Honor and I really missed out."

"Well maybe we can remedy that with your babies. Maybe I'll try to do everything with them that I didn't get to do with my own children."

"I think that sounds like an amazing idea. But can I make one request?"

"What's that?"

"I know that Rory has never been your favorite person, and that you two have your differences. But I really need you to be nicer to her. She doesn't have to be your favorite person, but I do need you to cut her some slack, and at least try to get along. Rory isn't going anywhere. And I really think that if you made an honest effort, that you would realize that you and Rory have a lot more in common than you ever realized."

"You're right Honey . . ." Shira said with a sigh as she sat down on the bed in front of Logan. "I'm sorry, I'm trying. This is all very new to me."

"Society Shira is pretty engraved in your brain."

"Yes, she is."

"I get it. It's hard to undo all those years of ridiculous expectations and abuse."

"It's been difficult, yes."

"Maybe you should try treating Rory the way that you wish you had been treated when you were pregnant with Honor and I. Maybe that might be a good place to start. Maybe try being the person to Rory, that you needed by your side back then. Maybe the two of you can build an understanding from there."

"You are absolutely right Honey. Do you think Rory would mind if I went over to see her?"

"I don't think that she would mind at all. Do you want to go right now?"

"Why don't you give me a few minutes to change, and I'll meet you downstairs."

"Sure. Let me know when you're ready." Logan said as he got up from the chair he had been sitting in, in the corner of the room, and started to leave, before stopping and turning back to face his mother. "Hey Mom?"

"Yes Sweetie?"

"I know I've never told you this before . . . But I love you . . . And I'm sorry that you never got to be the mother to us that you deserved to be. You aren't a bad person at all. You were just put in a really crappy position by a vindictively abusive man."

"Thank you Logan. That means a lot to me."

"I'll see you downstairs." Logan told her as he turned back toward the door.

"Hey Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that maybe I can have a hug?"

"I think I can do that." Logan agreed, a smile spreading over his face as he headed back to his mom, and wrapped his arms around her.

"You are a really great son. I'm sorry that I haven't told you that sooner. I am so proud of you. I love you Honey."

"Thanks Mom. I needed to hear that."

"Alright, head downstairs Sweetie. I'll be there in a few minutes." Shira said when she pulled away from Logan a few moments later.

"Take as long as you need." Logan smiled, placing a kiss on his mother's cheek, then heading out of the room, spotting Honor outside the door with tears rolling down her face. Logan shook his head, and pointed down the hall, urging Honor to follow him.

"That was the sweetest thing that I have ever seen." Honor sniffled, following Logan down the stairs.

"You are not going in there when you are all emotional."

"You've never had a talk like that with Mom before. It was really sweet. It think it means a lot to her."

"And I don't want you ruining it. Go dry your eyes."

"It's the pregnancy hormones."

"I don't care. You need to pull yourself together. I'm trying to do what I promised, and give mom a chance to be the mother she wishes she could have been to us. But I don't need you acting all hormonal, and messing with the progress we are making. So please, dry it up."

"Do you want me to come with you guys to see Rory?"

"You don't need to. I know you have a lot going on here. I don't mind taking her. I told Mom that I would take her out for her birthday on Monday. I told her to decide what she wants to do, and that we can do it just the two of us, or as a family, or whatever she wants to do."

"That is awfully brave of you."

"I'm making an effort."

"Mom was right. You are a really good son."

"I am just doing for Mom, what you've always done for me."

"Ok, now you are making me tear up again. Stop it!"

"Stop being so hormonal."

"I can't help it. I'm pregnant."

"Excuses excuses!" Logan smiled, kissing his sister on the cheek, then heading into the kitchen. "What kind of snacks do you have?"

"You have food at your own house."

"Yeah, but I asked what you have. I don't really feel like anything that we have. Going to your house is like the equivalent of going to the stereotypical Grandma's house. You have all kinds of good food, and never mind feeding extra mouths."

"What can I say, I've helped raise you for the last 35 years, and it's ingrained in my head to always have your favorite snacks on hand." Honor shrugged.

"And this is why I love you!"

"Yeah yeah yeah, go eat an apple. You have about an hour before the others arrive."

"I'll make sure that we are back in time. Frank is supposed to text me when they leave the airport."

"You need to make sure you tell me when he does."

"Don't I always?"

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * 15 Minutes Later, Huntzberger Home * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Hey Rory, there is someone here to see you." Logan said, walking into his bedroom with Shira at his side.

"Hey Honey. Hey Shira. Welcome home." Rory smiled, closing her computer and setting it on the bed beside her.

"Thank you Sweetie. How are you feeling?" Shira asked.

"I'm doing alright. Just getting some work done between naps."

"Is there anything that you need? Anything that I can get for you?"

"I'm ok right now, but thank you for asking. How was your flight?"

"It wasn't too bad. Honor booked us first class, so it was pretty uneventful."

"Well I'm really glad that you made it back safely. You look amazing! California definitely agrees with you."

"It is beautiful out there. Winter is much different there than it is here."

"You missed the snow?"

"I did. It just isn't Christmas without snow."

"I definitely agree with that. California has some great weather, but it definitely isn't Christmas without snow. It just doesn't feel right."

"I forgot, you spent a lot of time traveling after college, didn't you?"

"I did. I was on the campaign trail for 18 months, going all over the country. I got to see a lot of different places."

"What was your favorite?"

"Wow, that is a great question, I'm not too sure. California was beautiful. The beach was amazing, and the sunsets were gorgeous. Salt Lake City was nice. The mountains in Colorado are amazing! Iowa was kind of dull. Texas had the best food. Las Vegas was fun. Arizona was miserably hot, but it was a dry heat, which is completely different from the wet humid heat here on the east coast. I learned that I actually prefer the dry heat. It's not so suffocating."

"Did you get to see any of the sights while you were out?"

"I did, a little bit. I'm a nerd, so I enjoyed going to museums, or taking a historic tour. There are some awesome museums in San Diego, and in San Antonio. I got to see The Alamo, which was just awesome! One of my friends drug me to this place called Cadillac Ranch, which is just this desert with a bunch of old Cadillac cars sticking out of the ground that are completely covered in graffiti. There is a Titanic museum in Missouri that was pretty cool. There is so much to see all over the country, I wish I could have done more than I did, but there just wasn't time. The one thing that I did get to do that I really enjoyed, was checking out a couple Trail Of Tears sites while I was in the South. I'm weird, and it was something that was on my bucket list, so I was really excited for that."

"The Trail Of Tears was on your bucket list?" Logan asked.

"Donner Pass was on my list too, which I also saw."

"Seriously?"

"You, of all people, know how nerdy I am." Rory said, defending herself.

"What else is on your bucket list?" Shira asked.

"I've crossed quite a few things off already. I went to Fez, and backpacked through Europe with my mom. I want to go to Peru someday and visit Machu Picchu, and to Argentina to visit La Plata near Buenos Aires. I want to visit the Mayan and Aztec Ruins in Mexico and I want to go to Zimbabwe and see the Mana Pools, and visit the elephant sanctuary in Botswana."

"Some of those are pretty unusual places."

"They are, but that's why I want to go there. Not too many people have a goal of visiting those places, and I find them fascinating. The culture is so different than anything that we are used to here, and I find it all incredibly interesting."

"Most people want to go to Paris and Rome."

"I've been to Paris, it was gorgeous. Rome I haven't been to yet. I want to go there, and to Greece and Austria, and to Hamburg."

"When I was in high school I wanted to visit Auschwitz."

"Yes! I want to go there! Logan, we should all go. Maybe next summer?"

"We can definitely do that. We'll plan a family trip. We have papers out there that we should check up on too. There is an annual international press summit in Hamburg, so maybe we can plan to go around the same time."

"That sounds amazing!"

"I want to go to Hawaii someday." Shira told them.

"Mom, you haven't been to Hawaii?" Logan asked.

"Not yet. Your father was always too busy to go."

"Well you guys have all the time in the world now. Maybe you can go this summer. Maybe you can take a cruise somewhere."

"Maybe. But I want to be here when the babies are born. Maybe when the kids are a few years old we can all take a Disney Cruise. I hear those are all the rage."

"I've heard that." Rory agreed. "I've never been a big Disney fan, but it sounds fun."

"We'll have to plan something."

"Definitely! We'll have everyone make a list of places that they want to go, and we can plan family trips to wherever everyone has in common."

"That is a really great idea." Logan told them. "But for right now, we need to get back to Honor's house. She's got some afternoon plans."

"Yes, and Rory needs to get some rest. We shouldn't keep her." Shira agreed. "Rory, you let me know if you need anything, alright?"

"Thank you Shira, I definitely will." Rory told her.

"You get some rest. Logan, I will meet you downstairs. I'm going to go say goodbye to Emily and Richard." Shira told them, then headed out of the room.

"Wow!" Rory mouthed silently to Logan as Shira left the room.

"You just had a pleasant conversation with my mom."

"I know! And she's wearing jeans! I've never seen your mom wearing anything not fancy."

"Yeah, me either. It's mind boggling." Logan agreed as he sat down on the bed next to his wife. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. Just kind of baffled."

"Right?!"

"Your Mom was so nice to me."

"We had a nice talk before we came over."

"About what?"

"Just stuff. How difficult it is to step away from the societal mentality and live a normal life. I asked her to be nicer to you. Maybe try being the person she needed and wished that she had when she was pregnant and in your shoes. I think it gave her a new perspective."

"I actually like her when she's like this."

"I know, I do too. We had a really nice conversation over at Honor's. Honor overheard it and was in tears."

"Pregnancy hormones?"

"That's what she said. I told her that she needed to dry it up and not ruin things."

"You're real nice." Rory chuckled.

"Yeah well, I try."

"I'm glad that you guys are getting a second chance with your Mom."

"Me too. She wants to be a better grandparent to our kids than she's been as a parent."

"I think that is a really nice idea."

"She is pretty excited."

"It's a really big change for her."

"Rehab has been life changing for my Mom"

"I agree."

"I need to head back to Honor's, but I want to check your blood pressure first."

"Pick an arm." Rory said as Logan reached into his medical bag that sat next to the nightstand.

"Thank you for being nice to my mom."

"I'm not the one that you should be thanking. Your Mom is the one doing all of the hard work. I'm just sitting in bed doing my own thing."

"Yeah, but you have every right to completely hate her after everything that she's done to you."

"You know that isn't the type of person that I am."

"But you still have every right to be."

"As long as your mom continues the friendly attitude, I have no problem being around her. It's the spiteful bitter Shira that I can't stand."

"I told my Mom that I would take her out for her birthday on Monday. Just the two of us, unless she wants to do something else."

"That sounds really nice."

"She was pretty shocked. We've never actually done anything together."

"It will be really good for you. Your Mom may never be like mine, but she is at least making an effort."

"It's a really nice change."

"I'm glad that you are happy Baby. You deserve this."

"We deserve this."

"You need to get going." Rory said as Logan's phone buzzed in his pocket.

"That is probably Frank, telling me that he is on his way with my Mom's family."

"I'll meet you over there for dinner."

"I'll let you know when it arrives."

"If you want me to come over when they get there I will."

"It's up to you, but I completely agree with you wanting to give my Mom space, and not take any attention away from her."

"I just feel like my being pregnant and on bed rest is a distraction that she doesn't deserve. Your Mom hasn't seen her family in like 37 years. She deserves all the time and attention in the world. But as soon as you want me to come over, you just text me, and I'll be there, ok?"

"Do you know how much I love you?"

"I think that I've got a pretty good idea." Rory smiled as Logan leaned down to kiss her.

"I've gotta go."

"Have fun."

"Yeah right. You and I both know how much family get togethers completely suck."

"Mine really aren't so bad anymore."

"But they used to be."

"I will definitely agree with that. Go try to enjoy yourself."

"I'll do my best. I love you."

"I love you too baby." Rory said kissing him again.

"Call or text me if you need anything."

"I will. I'm going to take a nap."

"Damn, I'm jealous! You are making it really hard to leave right now."

"Go!"

"I'm getting, I'm going." Logan said giving his wife one last kiss, then leaving the room.

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * 2:00pm * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Are you ready for this?" Logan asked as he stood in Honor's kitchen, awaiting the arrival of Shira's family.

"I think so. I mean, it can't possibly be any worse than a Huntzberger get together."

"Nothing is worse than a Huntzberger get together."

"Well at least the good news about you and Rory running the family business, is that hopefully we won't have to go to any more of those ever again!"

"Plus, we eloped, so there was no huge fancy wedding."

"You guys aren't going to do the big wedding later on?"

"I'm not sure. We haven't talked about it since we got married. Rory originally wanted a big wedding, and she definitely deserves it. But no one has mentioned it at all."

"Do you want me to bring it up to her?"

"You can if you want to. I'll eventually mention it. We've just had a lot going on."

"That's true. Your life kind of imploded with parental drama."

"And it's not even close to being over yet." Logan said as the doorbell rang.

"Hey Mom, would you mind getting the door?" Honor called out. "Hold on . . ." Honor said holding her hand up in front of her brother as they heard Shira head through the house toward the front door. "Ok, let's go but stay back. Let Mom have all the time she needs."

Logan and Honor stood watching as Shira opened the front door, and was shocked to see who was outside.

"Hey Shira." a man said with a country twang of an accent.

"Jimmy?"

"I brought a few other people with me." Jimmy said stepping aside to reveal the three people standing behind him.

"Momma?"

"Hi Honey." An older woman smiled.

"We got a phone call asking us to come see you, so we jumped on an airplane." a younger woman spoke up.

"Helen . . . Wow, what's going on? What are you guys doing here? How did you find us?" Shira asked.

"Mom, why don't you invite them in." Honor said as she stepped up behind her mother.

"Why don't you all come in." Shira said softly as she stepped aside, holding the door open.

"Logan, why don't you lead them to the living room." Honor said as she looked to her brother.

"Sure, right this way." Logan answered, leading the group through the house.

"Honor, what is going on?" Shira whispered in her daughter's ear.

"Logan and I spoke with Gayle, and we thought it might be nice to surprise you with a visit from your parents and siblings."

"Honor Amelia, you should have told me about this."

"Maybe, but we didn't want you to back out. Dad and Josh won't be back for a couple hours. We wanted to give you plenty of time. Your family is here for the weekend."

"For the weekend?"

"We thought it would be a nice birthday surprise. You can spend as little or as much time with them as you want to. Now come on. Let's go sit." Honor smiled, linking her arm through her mother's.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable." Logan told everyone as they entered the living room.

"This is a lovely home." Helen said as she looked around in awe, taking in their surroundings.

"Thank you." Honor smiled as she let Shira to a chair, opposite where her family had sat down on the couch. "Mom, would you like to introduce everyone?"

"Honor, Logan, this is my brother Jimmy, my sister Helen, and my parents Maggie and Dedrick. Momma, Daddy, these are my children, Logan and Honor."

"It's very nice to meet you all." Logan said, nodding in the direction of their guests.

"Thank you all so much for coming to visit us this weekend. Logan and I thought it would be a nice birthday surprise for Mom."

"Thank you for the invite." Helen answered. "We were very surprised to hear from you all. It's been over 30 years since we last heard from Shira."

"Yes, it seems there were some unfortunate circumstances surrounding that whole situation." Logan told them. "Fortunately, that has all been remedied. Honor and I apologize for whatever you all were told back then. We have no knowledge of what went on, but it has been brought to our attention that our Grandfather treated you abominably. We sincerely apologize, and hope that you won't hold it against any of us, and that you can all reconnect and maybe rebuild your family."

"Logan and I don't condone the actions of our Grandfather at all. He was horrible to Mom, and to us. He really wasn't a very nice man. Nothing will ever fix the way you all were treated, but Logan and I hope that we can all move forward as a family. We would love to get to know all of you, and for you to get to know us." Honor added.

"That would be nice." Maggie spoke up.

"Gayle, there you are. Would you like to join us?" Honor asked, seeing Gayle walk through the house, after having come down the stairs.

"Sure, that would be lovely." Gayle answered.

"Gayle, how was your nap?" Shira asked.

"It was very nice, thank you."

"Everyone, this is Gayle. She is a good friend of our family. Gayle, this is Maggie, Dedrick, Helen and Jimmy, Mom's parents, brother and sister." Honor said, introducing everybody.

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you." Gayle said as she took a seat next to Logan.

"Mom, would you like to say anything?" Honor asked.

"I apologize for whatever Elias said to any of you on my behalf. I was not made aware of any of it. Elias was very manipulative and controlling right up until his death. I can't even begin to tell you how deeply I was hurt by him as well. What he did to all of us is unimaginable."

"Do you mind if I help out?" Gayle whispered to Logan.

"Not at all, please do. I think Gayle has some words that may help in this situation." Logan spoke up. "I hope it's ok with the rest of you, but Honor and I asked Gayle to be here to help us all out this weekend. She is a licensed therapist and has been working with Mom for the last several months. Gayle helped Honor and I orchestrate this whole reunion."

"Thank you Logan. I hope you all don't mind my intrusion. As Logan said, I have been working with Shira for the last several months, and at one of our family therapy sessions a few months ago, it was brought to my attention that Shira had not been in contact with her family since becoming pregnant with her daughter, and moving away to get married. Due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, things were said and done that no one in this family was aware of at all, and a lot of feelings were hurt. It is only natural for there to be a lot of resentment, but we are all hopeful that maybe we can move past all of that, and heal as a family unit. No one in the Huntzberger family is at all aware of what was said or done by Shira's father in-law, but regardless, he is now deceased and should no longer be able to drive a wedge between anyone here. I know that all of you in this room were hurt by that man, but I think that right now, maybe we can put all of that aside, and just get to know each other as people. Later on, if you are interested, I would be more than happy to work with all of you to address what happened all of those years ago, and help you find a way to heal and move past it. But I think that this weekend maybe we should just set all of that aside and focus on happier times."

"I think that is a good idea." Jimmy commented.

"Why don't we go around the room and you can all introduce yourselves. Tell everybody a little something about you since none of you know each other. Logan, why don't you start."

"Alright. So I am Logan. I am 35 years old, and I am a doctor. I recently opened my own clinic in partnership with Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. I have an amazing, absolutely gorgeous wife, Rory, and in a couple of months, we will be welcoming a baby girl into the family."

"Where is Rory today?" Gayle asked.

"Rory is at home with her Grandparents. She is on bed rest, but she will be here for dinner."

"What happened to put her on bed rest if you don't mind my asking?" Helen asked.

"Rory suffers from Gestational Hypertension and Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Rory has been very sick the entire pregnancy. I've been working very closely with her doctor, to monitor Rory's condition, and keep both her and the baby safe and comfortable. Rory has two monitors that she wears 24 hours a day that link up to an app on my phone, so I can keep track of how she is doing."

"Honor, why don't you go next." Gayle suggested.

"I'm Honor. I am the one who originally called Jimmy. I am 38, and I technically don't really work, other than helping Logan's wife at the office when she needs it, and taking care of my parents. I am basically a second nurse to my Dad. I am married to a wonderful man, Joshua, and we too are expecting a baby in June. I am due a few weeks after Rory is."

"I'm not really sure what to say." Shira started. "I'm Logan and Honor's mother, and soon I'll be a grandma to both a little boy and a little girl. I've been married for almost 39 years, and my husband recently retired."

"I am Jimmy. I am a year older than Shira. I have a wife and 5 children who are all grown and one grandchild. I took over dad's farm when Dad needed to step back."

"What do your children do?" Shira asked.

"Abagail is a nurse. Murphy and Brett help on the farm, Steven is in college studying accounting, and Mary Jo is taking a couple years off of school and working to decide what she wants to do. She helps on the farm and is looking at maybe studying to be a veterinarian for livestock."

"So two children in the medical field, that is wonderful. You must be very proud." Gayle smiled.

"I am Dedrick. I ran my family farm my whole life, and raised my children. I now help Jimmy and the boys out when I can, but I mostly do the paperwork and stay out of the way."

"I'm Maggie. I have 9 children and 37 grandchildren, including the two of you, and 4 great grandchildren, and with another 8 on the way, including your own. I have always been a homemaker, and I enjoy spending time with the children, and sewing when I have time."

"I am Helen, I am three years older than Shira. I also am a homemaker with 6 children and 7 grandchildren with another 4 on the way this fall."

"Wow, that is a HUGE family!" Gayle told them.

"Wow, I can't even fathom all of that right now." Honor told them. "There are a lot of kids on Dad's side of the family, but at home, it was always just Logan and I. I can't even imagine what it must have been like to have 9 children, much less 37 grandchildren, and 12 great grandchildren. That is 60 people before you even count spouses. How do you keep names straight?"

"You don't." Dedrick told her.

"Daddy is right. I don't think any of us have ever been able to keep names straight. We've tried to not give any of the babies the same name as anyone else, but it's a lot to keep track of." Helen told them.

"Wow! That's just incredible!" Logan agreed. "I had no idea the extended family was so large."


	76. Chapter 76

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

I am so sorry I haven't gotten you guys any updates for several days. It's been a busy week. We were approved for the new home we are moving to, and our move date was pushed from the 24th to the 27th. However. we JUST got boxes today because it took until yesterday afternoon to get all the expenses approved by the corporate people from my husband's work. Doing corporate moves is so much easier than regular moves, because the company pays for everything. However. they tend to only give us 10 days to get everything done, even though they let us know a month or so ahead of time, that a move is coming. But at least they pay for all the moving supplies and stuff, so it saves us money. However, living in a super tiny town, I had to drive a freaking hour to the Uhaul store today, just to get boxes. I have my kids toys all packed up, 2 boxes per kid, which a small amount left out for them to play with for the next week, and 4 large trash bags of toys being donated to families who are less fortunate. I've also gotten a ton of the kids old clothes gathered up for donation as well. We are downsizing from a 3 bedroom house, to a two bedroom apartment, so we definitely don't need all the stuff we've accumulated. The sad thing is that before we moved to where we are now, we were in a two bedroom apartment, which we had also downsized to. It's amazing how much stuff you accumulate in 10 months. And yes, we just moved 10 months ago. This is move number 5 in two years. And let me tell you, moving during a national pandemic . . . NOT the greatest thing in the world. LOL

I'm not sure how much time I will have to write in the next week, but I am going to be doing my best. I definitely will be needing breaks from packing because otherwise I will just make myself completely crazy.

Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I have been cracking up reading them lately. Thank you so much! You guys really keep me going. I really look forward to reading every single one of them. I've even responded to a few, so check your messages!

* * *

"Don't worry about it Honey, I'll get the door." Richard said as he held the door open for Rory and Emily as they all entered Honor 's house. "Let me take your coats too. I'll hang them up while you go get settled."

"It sounds like the rest of the family is here." Honor commented as Logan immediately got up and headed for the foyer.

"Hey, how was your nap?" Logan asked as Emily helped Rory out of her coat, handing it to Richard along with her own.

"Hey Babe! It was good. I feel a lot less tired. " Rory answered as Logan kissed her. "How are things going over here?"

"They're going well. We've just been catching up. Richard, Emily why don't you go get settled in the living room and I'll be in with Rory in a moment. I just want to check her monitors and stuff after the walk over."

"Is there a chair for Rory, or should I grab one?" Richard asked as Logan led Rory through the house.

"Rory can take mine, but we'll need to grab a couple more."

"Logan, I've got it."Honor told him as she got up from her seat and followed him into the kitchen.

"Honor, you still have that extra medical bag here, right?"

"It's in the cupboard above the stove." Honor said as she grabbed a chair from the table and took it to the living room, with Richard grabbing two more.

"Everyone, this is Richard and Emily Gilmore, they are Rory's Grandparents. You will meet Rory in just a minute, she's getting a checkup in the other room. Richard, Emily, this Helen, and Jimmy, mom's brother and sister, and their parents Dedrick and Maggie."

"Hello, it is a pleasure to meet you all." Emily greeted everyone as she took a seat next to Shira.

"It's nice to meet you as well." Helen told her. "Do you guys live nearby?"

"Not officially. Not yet anyway." Richard answered. "We live a couple of hours south of here, in Hartford, but we come up to visit our Granddaughter quite often.

"Logan and Rory are adding an addition onto their house to give Richard and Emily their own private apartment for when they come to visit." Honor explained. "I believe it will be done in the next few weeks."

"As long as everything goes according to plan." Emily confirmed.

"How far away do Logan and Rory live?" Dedrick asked.

"Actually, they are right across the street." Honor answered. "Logan and I have always been very close, so when he married Rory and they started looking for a home to buy, we thought that it might be fun to be in the same neighborhood. Things actually worked out perfectly because the family across the street was downsizing, and Rory and Logan fell in love with their house, so now Josh and I have them super close by."

"The kids go back and forth several times a day." Shira added. "It makes visiting very easy for Mitchum and I."

"I can imagine, that must be very convenient." Maggie told her. "I noticed that you have keypad locks on your door, is that so you don't have to carry a key?"

"It is. Rory and Logan have them too. Rory's family is super close, so they are here a lot, and everyone goes back and forth between the two houses so much that it got tedious to have to always carry a key, and figure out who had one on them and who left their key at the other house. We got keypad locks for both houses, that way we can all go back and forth all we want without having to worry about whether or not we forgot or lost our keys."

"It must be nice to have your family so close by." Helen told them. "Jimmy and I live near Momma and Poppa, but everyone else is way more spread out. We aren't all as close as we used to be."

"That is to be expected when you grow up. Our daughter lives about a half hour from us, and now Rory moved two hours away." Emily told them. "It's all perfectly normal, but we definitely miss them when they go. We are looking forward to the apartment to be finished here, just in time for the babies to be born."

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * Meanwhile, in the kitchen * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Is it horrible that even though I am happy that my mom is getting to reconnect with her family, I am wishing that I didn't have to be here?" Logan asked as he checked Rory's blood pressure.

"Probably not. But you should enjoy getting to know them too."

"I will now that you're here. But when you're at home and I'm stuck over here, I miss hanging out with you."

"Logan, we are together all day every day."

"I know and it's awesome!"

"It's good for you to spend some time with other people."

"I know that too, but is it so bad that I miss my wife?"

"It's good to spend time with other people every so often."

"I know that. But we are still newlyweds, and I love that we get to spend all day every day together. I really miss you when we have to do other things. What is so wrong about that?"

"Well, there's the fact that you are a completely sappy love sick puppy, for starters."

"Are you really going to make fun of me right now?!"

"Actually, I am."

"Really Ace?! What is so wrong about being completely in love with my wife?"

"In love, obsessed, potato po-tat-o."

"Oh, so that's how it's going to be? Really? Because I'll show you obsessed." Logan chuckled, grabbing Rory around the waist and tickling her exactly where he knew she couldn't resist.

"You play dirty!" Rory said as she tried slapping his hands away.

"Maybe. But you like that I do."

"You might want to stop that before you get a phone call from Paris."

"Damn it, good point."

"We should go out there."

"We should ditch everyone and go home."

"What Honor said to you yesterday is really bothering you."

"Of course it is! It's disturbing!"

"Logan, come on. When have we ever been like other people?"

"You agreed that it happens to everyone. How can I not be bothered by that?!"

"But the difference is that we are aware of it. You are aware of it, and clearly very bothered by it. Which means that you will do everything in your power to stop it from happening. Therefore, we have absolutely nothing to worry about. Plus, other couples don't spend even half as much time together as we do. You and I are together all day, every day. How are we supposed to get all caught up in the craziness of life when our lives entirely revolve around each other? How often do you really rush out the door to work in the morning, without me right there with you? When are you ever in a meeting or a conference without me? Come on, don't let what Honor said bother you. Because you and I are different. You've never been able to go even five minutes without touching me. You and I have an amazing relationship, you just need to trust it. We are going to be ok."

"I love that you think so. And that you have so much faith in us."

"I have faith in us because of you. What happens to other people is not going to happen to us, because you won't let it. So let's just trust that, alright?"

"I'll try." Logan agreed with a sigh.

"Let's go be happy for your Mom."

"Just one more thing."

"What's that?" Rory asked as Logan took her face in his hands and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"You are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"Well I guess that you are in luck then, because the feeling is mutual."

"You look beautiful today."

"Why are you stalling so much?"

"They're staring at me like I'm a piece of meat."

"That's because you are."

"It's uncomfortable."

"Come on, I'll be there with you. If it makes you feel better, I'll stare at you like you are a piece of meat too. Now come on, I would think that you would be used to being ogled by now."

"It's creepy when it's family."

"Just focus on something else."

"Hey is everything alright?" Honor asked, walking into the kitchen to check on her brother and Rory.

"Logan is uncomfortable with people looking at him like he's a piece of meat." Rory told her, taking a step back from her husband.

"Well then maybe he should make more of an effort to be ugly."

"Ouch!" Logan responded.

"Your sister has a point. You put an awful lot of effort into looking life a beef cake, so it's kind of your own fault."

"Logan, stop being so self-conscious and let's go." Honor said as she grabbed several bottles of water out of the fridge. "Take some of these for me."

"They're they are!" Shira smiled, seeing Logan and Rory follow Honor into the living room.

"I'll just apologize for my little brother and his nauseating newlyweddedness right now." Honor said as she set the water on the table in front of the couch, then took her seat again. "I brought water if anyone is thirsty. Dinner should be arriving shortly."

"Logan, why don't you introduction your wife." Shira said as Logan helped Rory get situated, then took a seat next to her, and wrapping an arm around her.

"Everyone, this is Rory. Rory these are my mom's siblings Helen and Jimmy and her parents Maggie and Dedrick."

"Hi everyone, it is very nice to meet you. Thank you so much for coming all the way here. I know it means a lot to Shira."

"It's nice to meet you Honey." Maggie told her. "How long have you two been married?"

"Almost 6 months. But we've known each other for over a decade."

"Rory and Logan dated when they were both at Yale." Emily said proudly.

"So you two have been together for a while then." Helen commented.

"Not exactly." Rory explained. "We dated for three years in college then lost touch until last fall."

"They're that nauseating couple that can get annoying to be around because they're so disgustingly cute together." Honor commented.

"Honor, they're sweet. Leave them be." Emily chided.

"Rory, we heard that you are on bed rest. Are you doing ok?" Helen asked.

"For the most part. I have to wear a couple monitors and tolerate vital checks several times a day, but I'm trying to not get too annoyed with it. I don't suggest marrying a doctor though. Logan is a little bossy."

"It's only because he cares Honey." Richard told her.

"It's really not so bad. I am very lucky to be able to be at home and not in the hospital. I still get to work, usually from the comfort of my bed or home office, and my family has been taking turns staying with us to help out and keep me from going crazy. My sisters are coming for spring break next week, so I'm excited for that."

"How many siblings do you have?" Jimmy asked.

"Just two. They both live in Boston."

"Are they older or younger?" Maggie questioned.

"I'm the oldest. My sister April is graduating from MIT in about 6 weeks, and Georgia is in high school."

"Rory was an only child for most of her life." Emily explained. "Georgia was born when you were what, 18?"

"17." Rory corrected her.

"And April didn't come into your life until you were at Yale."

"Yep, I was a junior. And I only met her once back then. I never actually got to spend any time with her until I got home from working on the Obama campaign."

"Wow, you worked on the Obama campaign?! That sounds like a lot of work!" Helen commented.

"I did. I was a political reporter for an online magazine."

"Do you still do that now?"

"Sort of, not really."

"Rory is the CEO of the Huntzberger Publishing Group." Richard said proudly.

"Shira, isn't that where your husband works?" Maggie asked.

"It was. Mitchum had a couple heart attacks in the fall and Rory stepped in to run the company. Mitchum retired last month." Shira commented.

"Rory took over the company in late September, right before we got married." Logan added.

"Wasn't it like the day before?" Honor asked.

"I think it was like 3 days."

"That sounds like a busy week." Dedrick spoke up.

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"And now you guys are having a baby. Did you and Honor plan to be pregnant together?" Maggie asked.

"Not at all. It was just a pleasant surprise." Rory answered.

"Josh and I had been trying for a baby for ten years. I was excited to be be an aunt, but then our doctor surprised us with the news that I am pregnant too." Honor explained.

"It must be fun being pregnant at the same time."

"It is. Honor and I have identical wardrobes. She went maternity clothes shopping before I got a chance, and she bought two of everything." Rory chuckled. "It's always interesting to see if we pick out the same clothes each day."

"The shirt Rory is wearing I actually wore yesterday. But I think we have on the same jeans." Honor said as she looked over at her sister in-law.

"We are."

"You guys sound like you are pretty close." Helen commented.

"We are. Logan and I have always been super close, and Rory and I are best friends. Even our families are close now. We all spend a lot of time together. I never have to worry about doing things alone." Honor confirmed.

"So Logan, I have to ask you." Jimmy started. "What is your workout regime? Are you on a special diet?"

"I'm not as dedicated as I used to be. There isn't any special diet. I take a lot of vitamins and supplements to boost my immune system because I spent the last 5 years working in the emergency room. I just eat decent and spend a couple hours a day working out. It used to be a more, but I have a lot going on these days."

"Do you just do weights?"

"I do a little bit of everything. I have all the equipment I need in my basement. I do a lot of lifting and running either on the treadmill or in the park with my dog. I used to use the employee gym at the hospital, but I actually prefer using my own equipment now."

"How in the world do you look like that without any special diet?" Helen asked.

"I just eat healthy and burn a lot of calories."

"Rory do you work out with him?"

"Never." Rory answered. "I like to watch."

"Rory watches while eating a bag of mini donuts. It's distracting." Logan laughed.

"Logan comes over here a lot of the time when he's hungry. Rory is on the Gilmore eat all things fried and sugary diet. Josh and I tend to have healthier snacks." Honor added.

"My eat everything diet isn't too bad."

Rory argued. "Logan makes sure I eat decently. Plus, whenever my mom and Dad come to visit, they leave a ton of meals in our freezer so all we have to do is heat them up."

"That is true. Luke does make sure that you two eat well when he's not around." Emily agreed. "Rory's step father spoils her as if she's his own."

"Well, until he found out about April when she was 11, I was all that Luke had. He's always treated me like I was his."

"Sorry, this is probably pretty confusing to you guys. Rory was an only child for most of her life. Her Mom started dating her step dad while Rory and I were dating in college, and about a year into their relationship, Luke found out that he has his own daughter, April. And then Rory also has a half-sister from her bio Dad, Georgia who is 15." Logan explained. "Rory and her mom have known her step Dad since Rory was pretty little, and now that her Mom and Luke are married, she just calls him Dad."

"My Mom will be here tomorrow, you will probably meet her. I'm not sure if Luke is coming or not." Rory added.

"Rory, what do your parents do?" Dedrick asked.

"My Dad is an attorney in Boston, working in the family practice, my Mom owns the Dragonfly Inn with is this gorgeous bed and breakfast in Stars Hollow, Connecticut about two hours from here, and my Step Dad, Luke, owns his own diner in the same town."

"What made you go into the newspaper business rather than being a lawyer and working for your own family like your father? Or working with your Mom at her hotel?"

"My parents were never big on the whole family business thing. My grandpa is the head of a big insurance firm in Hartford, so I definitely could have gone in several different directions, but my parents always made sure that I was my own person outside of them, and they raised me to go after what I wanted. I've always wanted to be an international correspondent like Christiane Amanpour. I've looked up to her since I was really young. I am kind of a nerd, and spent 95% of my time reading as I was growing up. Reading and writing are my two favorite things in the world. I worked on my high school newspaper, and I was the vice president of the student council. Then I went to Yale where I was the Editor of the school paper for a while. After that I worked as a political reporter for the Obama campaign, then as a writer and editor for the New York Times before leaving to run HPG. And the great thing about being the CEO is that I literally get to do whatever I want. I write, edit, read book publishing submissions, approve newspaper layout, I can pick and choose what I feel like doing every day. It's the best job in the world. I am very lucky."

"Logan, why didn't you take over for your Dad?" Maggie asked.

"In all honesty, I have no interest. I'm a doctor, and I am very happy just doing that. I don't want to give up my career that I love and that I worked really hard to get, just so I could follow in my both my Dad and Grandpa's footsteps. I enjoy being my own man."

"Logan's new clinic is in the HPG building." Shira told them.

"It's in the HPG building because I partnered with the hospital to run an employee clinic for both the hospital and HPG employees."

"That must be nice having your own clinic." Helen commented.

"It is. It's a big change after working in the emergency room for 5 years. It's a lot quieter. And I'm in the same building as Rory so I get to spend more time with her than I did when I was at the hospital all the time."

"Logan also helps out with HPG stuff when needed." Honor added.

"It's kind of inevitable when you're wife runs the place."

"So are you self-employed or employed by the hospital?" Dedrick asked.

"My salary is paid both by the hospital and by HPG which is why I'm allowed to be both a doctor and help Rory when she needs it. But for the most part, I am my own boss. I really only have to answer to the hospital board."

"You said the clinic is for employees?"

"That is correct. It is a private clinic, strictly for both the employees of the Columbia University system who owns the hospital, and HPG employees and their family members sharing the company health insurance policy. We don't accept any other patients."

"Why did your partner with the hospital? Why not go out on your own?"

"Because I went to medical school at Columbia, and they've been really great to me. I love working in the hospital. I am good friends with everyone that I've worked with there. Plus, partnering with the hospital gives me the equipment that I need, patient records, medication, supplies, vaccines, basically everything. Anything that I need for my patients I don't have to foot the bill myself. Everything including billing is taken care of by the hospital. And being a partner allows me to refer my patients to specialists within the hospital network much faster than if I were referring them elsewhere, and it allows all is the treating physicians to share the same set of records and always be up to date on each patient's needs. It's a win, win situation."

"That sounds like you win on all accounts. You don't have to purchase any of your own necessities."

"Exactly! I also don't have to pay anything other than my own malpractice insurance. All risks and expenses are taking on by the hospital. HPG provides the office space completely free of charge and splits my salary. There is really no down side to the deal."

"What made you go to medical school?" Maggie asked.

"I was in a really dark place for a while and having a tough time figuring out how to move forward. I needed a change and something that would distract me from myself for more than 5 minutes. One of my friends was in medical school and I figured that if she could do it, so could I. Plus, the fact that she thought so little of me helped motivate me to keep going and prove her wrong. It was the motivation I needed. I needed that push to be better and to actually do something good with my life instead of being selfish spoiled Logan who has everything handed to him. I had lost the one thing that made me happy and I needed to figure out who I was and how to be happy again."

"Rory, what did you think about Logan going to medical school?"

"I actually didn't know about it until 6 months ago. One of our friends swears that she told me, but I have no recollection of it. Logan and I broke up after college and I blocked out everything that had anything to do with him. I hadn't seen or heard anything about him until I ran into him while getting coffee. But I am incredibly proud of Logan. He has worked really hard to get to where he is today. He's an amazing doctor who actually cares about his patients."

"So you guys were broken up for years and just recently got back together, got married and are already having a baby?" Helen questioned.

"Don't do the math." Honor chuckled.

"Logan asked me to marry him 9 years ago. The only real surprise was that we didn't run into each other sooner."

"So you guys didn't have a big wedding then?" Maggie asked.

"Nope, it was just us. We took a quick trip to St. Croix for Rory's birthday." Logan told her.

"It was simple and beautiful. It might have been nice to have the whole family there, but that would have been a lot of chaos."

"And with Dad having just had major surgery following a heart attack, it would have meant waiting, which we didn't want to do.

"Speaking of Dad." Honor said, seeing Mitchum head into the kitchen carrying a couple of large paper bags, followed by Blake and Josh. "It looks like dinner is here. Emily, would you mind coming to help me?"

"Yes, of course." Emily immediately agreed, rising from her seat and following Honor to the kitchen.

"Hey guys, how was golf?"

"It wasn't too bad. A little chilly, but overall not bad." Mitchum answered.

"Excellent! Daddy I need you to go sit with Mom. Please be nice to her family. I know that there is a lot of bad blood there, but I really need you to make the best of it. Having Mom's parents and siblings here is a really big deal, and Mom actually seems very happy. So will you please do this for me? Just this once?"

"I'm sure that I am not their favorite person." Mitchum protested.

"Maybe not, but they are still family. Mom needs your support on this. We are trying to mend fences. Gayle suggested that we all just introduce ourselves and leave the past in the past for right now. Just get to know each other this weekend. And we are doing well so far. Josh will go with you. Rory and Logan have been getting a lot of the attention for the last little while, so you can just go say hi and sit with them. Mom has never asked you for anything like this before. You owe it to her."

"Alright. I'm going."

"Thank you Daddy." Honor smiled, placing a kiss on Mitchum's cheek, then watching him leave the room. "Josh, thank you for taking him out and for picking up the food."

"Anything for you." Josh said giving his wife a kiss, then following Mitchum.

"Honor, what can I do to help you?" Blake asked having finished washing his hands, then beginning to unload food from the bags he helped carry in.

"All of this food needs to go into serving bowls and trays so we can eat."

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * Back In The Living Room * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Good evening." Mitchum said as he entered the room with Josh. "Logan, Rory, how are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, thank you. How was golf?" Rory asked.

"A little bit chilly, but nice. Richard, it's nice to see you. Hello Dear." Mitchum said greeting Shira with a kiss to her cheek as he claimed Honor's chair.

"Mitchum, Joshua, how nice of you to join us. You remember my parents, Jimmy and Helen don't you? Everyone, you remember Mitchum, and this is Honor's husband, Joshua."

"It is very nice to see you all again. Thank you for coming."

"Hi, how are you all? It's a pleasure to meet you." Josh said in greeting, taking a seat in Emily's vacant chair.

"Joshua, these are my parents Dedrick and Maggie, and my siblings, Jimmy and Helen." Shira said, introducing the guests.

"You can all just call me Josh. I am very glad you all could make it."

"It's nice to meet you Josh." Dedrick spoke up.

"Josh, why don't you tell everyone a little bit about yourself." Gayle suggested.

"Uh, sure. I am 38, I have an accounting degree from Princeton University and an MBA from Columbia. I work for the Rothschild Group in their Manhattan office, and I split my time between there and helping my wife out here."

"Are you a Rothschild?" Helen asked.

"I am."

"Wow, so you are German then."

"German and Jewish, yes. I was born in Denmark, where we lived for two years, then we moved to Austria for a year, until my parents decided to move to New York shortly after my third birthday."

"It sounds like your family has quite the history."

"Yes, they definitely do."

"What is it like to be Jewish in America?" Jimmy asked.

"I would say that it is the exact same as being any other religion. We all have our differences. My family chooses to celebrate all holidays, not just those that the Jewish faith chooses to celebrate. My parents believe in assimilation. They came to America to give their children better life opportunities, and along with that came a lot of changes from the way they were raised, and the things that they were used to. We are German and Jewish, but we are also American citizens, and we share all the same customs as everyone else in this country. We just mix them with our own family heritage. My parents have managed to blend our lives pretty well. My Grandparents suffered a lot as children, and lost so many of their family members. I can't imagine having to go through any of that."

"Have they been back to Germany since all of that happened?" Helen asked.

"They have, but it's really hard for them. My parents go back every few years, and they've taken us kids. We all appreciate our heritage for what it is, but it is always a super emotional trip to go on. My parents tried to go back to living in Germany, but being there was extremely emotional and brought back a lot of traumatic memories for my Grandparents, and they just had to get away from there."

"Why did your family choose New York?" Maggie asked.

"Because of the family business. There are a lot of large banking corporations here in New York, and if they wanted to compete, they needed to be nearby. My father and Grandfather built the American branch of the business from the ground up, and we are doing pretty well here. We've expanded throughout the country since opening the first office 35 years ago."

"How did you and Honor meet?"

"We first met at some event when we were little, but didn't actually become friends until we were in college. We were always in the same social circles, and ended up at all the same events, so we figured we should give friendship a try. Things just worked out for us."

"How long have you been married?" Helen asked.

"11 years. We've been together for 15."

"So your family lives nearby too then?" Jimmy asked.

"They do. They live about a half hour away."

"How many siblings do you have?" Maggie asked.

"There are five of us. I'm the oldest."

"Do you enjoy having a big family?" Helen questioned.

"I do, but I also enjoy the quiet. I love my family, but they can be pretty loud a lot of the time.

"Do you see them often?"

"A lot of them I see daily. I work with my Dad and a couple uncles and cousins. My mom I only see a couple times a week, but she brings us lunch and different treats and snacks all the time."

"Josh's Mom is basically Betty Crocker." Rory spoke up. "She is always baking up something delicious!"

"Yes, she is." Josh agreed. "My Mom loves to bake. She would be lost without a kitchen."

"Mitchum, do you want to say anything? Maybe tell everyone a little something about yourself?" Gayle asked.

"Sure, I can do that." Mitchum agreed. "I'm the patriarch of this family. I recently retired after having back to back heart attacks, and I am now enjoying playing golf and spending time with my kids. I think after the babies are born, Shira and I are going to do some traveling, aren't we?"

"We are." Shira agreed with a smile. "Rory and I were talking about that earlier. There are quite a few places that we thought would be nice to visit as a family."

"That sounds like a great idea! Where were you thinking of going?"

"There are several places in South America and Mexico. Maybe Rome and, Germany."

"Rory wants to go see the Aztec Ruins and Visit Machu Picchu." Logan spoke up.

"That sounds like quite the bucket list."

"I like historic places. Especially the ones that are a little bit lesser known. I want to go to Zimbabwe and the Australian Outback. I've read about so many absolutely amazing places, and I think it would be a fun adventure to go visit. I backpacked through Europe with my Mom after I graduated from high school, and we had the best time! There are a ton of cool places to see all over the world. I want to see the 7 wonders of the world too, but there are a lot of other places that I think are just as fascinating."

"We took Honor and Logan to Rio De Janeiro when they were in high school. It's beautiful there!" Mitchum commented.

"Did you absolutely love it?!" Helen asked.

"It was pretty cool." Logan answered. "I've been a couple times. My friends and I went for Carnaval one year during college."

"I didn't know that?" Rory told him.

"The trip ended with Honor having to bail us out."

"I remember that." Josh chuckled. "What stupid thing did you three do again?"

"What stupid things DIDN'T we do?"

"You went with Collin and Finn?" Rory asked.

"The Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb. And Logan is Tweedle Dumbest." Josh told her.

"Don't I know it?!"

"Hey, I'm sitting right here!" Logan protested.

"And you know exactly how right we are."

"The three of us have grown up since then."

"We don't let you get together unsupervised for a reason."

"Rory has a point!" Josh told him. "The three of you have a long history of disasters. Do I need to even mention your trip to Argentina?"

"You mean the one where they got kicked out of the country with the Bush twins?" Mitchum asked. "Now that was a fun phone call to get!"

"You know the Bush twins?" Helen asked in shock.

"I used to." Logan confirmed. "I haven't seen or heard from them since that trip."

"Yeah, I think their Daddy put a stop to that one." Honor laughed as she walked back into the living room. "Dinner is ready if you would all like to follow me to the dining room. We've got some amazing Italian food from Mirabello's."


	77. Chapter 77

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

We move in 7 days and I have exactly 10 boxes packed.

Anxiety sucks! Does anyone else suffer from debilitating anxiety? I literally just sit on my couch staring at the few boxes that I've packed, and I am so completely overwhelmed that all I want to do is just cry. I know that it will get done, but with my husband's work schedule, the bulk of the work is dumped on me. I've packed the kids up, and some of my clothes, and the kids' book case, but that's it. It's all just too overwhelming.

On top of the stress of moving, I'm now being bullied by anti-maskers. I honestly don't get it. I've been attacked by multiple people on both Facebook and Instagram, and last night one particular witch, decided to drag my children into her vicious tirade. My pages have always been 100% locked down with only people I know having access, so it's not even strangers that are being jerks. It's people that I actually know! I've been hitting the block button, but I am so pissed over someone having the nerve to attack my children. It's just not right! I will never understand why people can't just be adults. If you see something that you don't like, be an adult, and scroll past it. Don't go bullying others, and don't ever attack someone else's children. Please be kind to each other. We are all in the exact same boat, and this whole covid thing is hard on all of us.

Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I have been cracking up reading them lately. Thank you so much! You guys really keep me going. I really look forward to reading every single one of them. I've even responded to a few, so check your messages!

* * *

"Hey Logan, it's Lorelai. I need you to come home." Lorelai said as soon as Logan answered his phone.

"I'm on my way. Is everything ok?" Logan asked. "Honor, I gotta go!" Logan yelled through the house to his sister as he ran to the door, slamming it behind him.

"I'm not sure. I think so? I need you to check."

"I'm running through the yard right now, I'll be there in about a minute."

"Logan is almost here." Lorelai said as she hung up the phone. "Mom, send Logan upstairs!" Lorelai yelled as she sat with her daughter.

"What?" Emily called back.

"Logan, send him upstairs!"

"Is everything ok?"

"I don't know!"

"Richard . . ."

"Go, I'll take care of it." Richard said calmly as Emily put her book down on the chair in the family room, and headed for the stairs right as the front door burst open. "They're upstairs." Without saying a word, Logan ran for the stairs, taking them two at a time, with Emily following behind him, leaving Richard to close the front door.

"What's going on?" Logan asked, bursting into his bedroom to see Rory curled up in a ball in their bed, holding her stomach.

"She's in a lot of pain." Lorelai answered.

"Call Paris, I'm pulling up the app. Ace, on a scale of 1-10, now bad is the pain?"

"About an 8."

"When did it start?"

"I don't know, maybe like an hour ago? It was just uncomfortable before, but now it's really bad."

"What kind of pain is it? Is it like rolling pain that gets stronger then subsides, or is it stabbing, or throbbing?"

"Definitely rolling."

"How long in between each episode?"

"I don't know, it was just mildly uncomfortable before, but it's getting worse."

"Are you having one right now?"

"No. Not since Mom called you."

"Lorelai, how long between episodes?"

"Maybe 5-10 minutes. Hey Paris, Logan asked me to call you. Rory is in a lot of pain. I'm putting you on speaker."

"Paris, I just got here. I was across the street dealing with family stuff." Logan said as Lorelai handed him her phone. Rory says the pain is rolling waves. She doesn't know when they started but said they went from being mildly uncomfortable to being an 8 out of 10. Lorelai says there is about a 5-10 minute break between each one."

"I'm pulling up the app right now. Give me a second. Do you have NST equipment at the clinic?" Paris asked.

"Nope."

"It looks like it could be Braxton Hicks. Rory, are you able to move at all?"

"Do I need to?" Rory asked.

"Logan, can you meet me at my office? If it's too painful for Rory, we can get an ambulance."

"I can get there faster than an ambulance can. Have someone meet me at the front door with a wheelchair."

"I'll see you in fifteen minutes." Paris said, then disconnected the call.

"Lorelai, grab Rory's shoes and a sweatshirt."

"I'll grab your purse." Emily said, immediately leaving the room and heading down the stairs.

"Logan, I don't want to be hospitalized." Rory cried as Logan pulled the blankets back.

"I know Ace. I don't want you stuck there either, but we need to at least go find out what's going on. We are just going to Paris' office. You know she won't make you stay there unless absolutely necessary. Especially not after last time."

"I don't want to go. Can't Paris just come here?"

"Ace, you need a non-stress test to figure out if this is Braxton Hicks contractions or actual labor contractions. I don't have the equipment at the clinic, but Paris has it at her office. Come on, I'm going to carry you. Just tell me when the pain starts and I'll stop, ok? Put your arms around my neck."

"I've got her comfy boots and a jacket." Lorelai said as she came back from the walk-in closet.

"Grab the blue plush blanket off the chair in the corner. It's Rory's favorite."

"Do you have a hospital bag that you want me to grab?"

"It's not packed yet." Rory said as Logan lifted her out of the bed.

"Well, if you end up needing one, I'll get it for you."

"We're supposed to go to Honor's for dinner." Rory said as Logan carried her out of the room.

"Ace, it's not even 1pm. We can still make it back for dinner. Lorelai, when is the last time that Rory ate?"

"She had a sandwich when I got here. I gave her one before taking the rest to Honor's."

"How much has she had to drink?"

"A couple bottles of water."

"Logan, I left my phone." Rory said as Logan carried her down the stairs.

"I've got it. I grabbed both of your phones off the bed." Lorelai told her. "Honey, try not to worry, ok? I know that you're scared, but Logan and Paris are taking care of everything, and I'm right here, ok?"

"I'm coming with you." Emily said as Logan stepped off the last stair, and headed past her toward the garage. "Richard is staying here. He's going to go help out over at Honor's. Lorelai, I've got your purse, and I grabbed Rory's too."

"Will someone get the doors for me, please?" Logan asked as he carried Rory through the house.

"I've got them." Richard said, stepping past the group, and hurrying toward the garage, opening the door, and pushing the button for the outside door to lift.

"I need my keys."

"I've got them." Emily told him, holding the keys up.

"You guys call me with updates." Richard told them.

"We will, Dad." Lorelai said as she stepped past him into the garage, and hurried to Rory's car, opening the door for Logan to put her inside. "I'll sit with Rory. Mom, you can take the front."

"Richard, will you let Honor know? I don't want everyone else knowing anything yet, but Honor is ok." Logan asked.

"I'll take care of it. Don't worry about a single thing. You just focus on Rory. I'll take care of everything else. Call me if you need anything. I'll bring you whatever you need."

"Thank you Richard." Emily smiled as Richard opened the car door for her, and helped her inside as Logan climbed in on the driver's side, and started the engine.

"You guys be safe. I look forward to your call." Richard said as he shut Emily's door, then stepped back from the car, watching as it backed out of the garage, hitting the button to close the outside door as they pulled away from the house.

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * 4 Hours Later * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Honor, I am so sorry for uprooting everyone." Logan said as Honor walked into the Huntzberger kitchen.

"Don't be silly, all that matters is that Rory is ok. What did Paris say?"

"It was definitely pre-term labor. Rory isn't allowed out of bed except to shower and use the bathroom. She's dilated to 2 centimeters. Moving around could cause further dilation."

"And I'm sure your extracurricular activities aren't helping anything."

"Shut up, Paris!"

"I'm just saying."

"Thanks, but I've already gotten that lecture today. I'm a doctor, she was fine. I know when it's dangerous and when it's not."

"Really?"

"Honor, come on. I've been dealing with Paris for the last 4 hours, I really don't need this from you right now."

"You know that I've always got your back. But I'm still your big sister, and I do reserve the right to kick your butt when you need it."

"You think that I'm not beating myself up right now? Paris threatened to put Rory on Hospital bed rest, just to keep her away from me."

"That's mean, but kind of funny."

"Thanks for the support."

"Logan, come on. Stop being like this. You can't beat yourself up too much. This kind of stuff happens, and it's no one's fault. Especially NOT yours. Paris was just being a jerk, because she's Paris. You are an amazing husband, and you are doing everything you can to help your wife through this. You guys have been through a lot lately."

"I need to go blow off some steam."

"I'm going to head back over to my house. I'll text you when dinner arrives, and then I'll bring everyone over. You just try to cool off."

"I'm going downstairs."

"You do that. Go beat the crap out of your punching bag."

"I may go for a run."

"Just make sure you take your phone with you."

"I'm not stupid. I always have it with me."

"Hey, come here." Honor said, pulling her brother to her, and wrapping her arms around him. "I love you. Just try to relax, ok? Everything is going to be ok."

"We need to make it at least another 2 weeks. Preferably 4-6."

"And I'll do whatever I can to help you get there, alright? Just try to breathe. I've got your back."

"Your son just kicked me."

"Yeah, I felt that." Honor chuckled as she let go of her brother.

"Hey little man. I love you too kid." Logan smiled, rubbing his sister's stomach. "He's strong."

"Well, he's got that fiery Huntzberger blood running through him."

"Thanks for being here Honor."

"Hey, it's what sisters do. You go relax. I'll text you when dinner arrives."

"Thanks Honor." Logan said as he watched Honor leave, then headed upstairs.

"Hey Baby." Rory smiled, seeing her husband walk into the room.

"Hey. Honor is going to bring dinner, and the rest of the family over here when the food arrives, unless you've changed your mind, and don't want guests."

"No, it's your Mom's birthday celebration. I want to be there."

"Ok. Do you need anything? I was thinking of maybe going for a run, then working out a little bit."

"I'm ok. You go blow off steam. Paris was pretty harsh to you. I can tell you're upset."

"Are you sure that you're ok?"

"I'm positive. Mom and Grandma are both here waiting on me hand and foot. I'll be fine. We'll call you if that changes. You go."

"I'm just going to run the neighborhood. I won't go far."

"Ok."

"I'm going to go change, I'll be right back." Logan said as he headed to their closet.

"Here is your computer Ror." Lorelai said walking into the room with Emily behind her, carrying a stack of paperwork for Rory.

"Thank you guys so much! Now at least I can work from bed."

"April just texted you asking if someone can pick her and Gigi up at the train station tomorrow. They are coming in a day early because April has a job interview at the hospital on Monday. I told her that I would pick them up."

"She has an interview? I am so excited for her!"

"Didn't Logan put in a recommendation?"

"He did."

"Do you want me to leave my car here so April has a car to drive while the girls are here? I can take the train home and have Luke pick me up."

"You don't have to do that. We've got two cars, and I am clearly not going anywhere."

"Lorelai, I'm not going anywhere. Richard and I will stay with Rory and the girls." Emily told them.

"Grandma, you guys don't have to stay if you don't want to. April and Gigi will be here, and Honor is right across the street with an entire team of helpers. I'll be fine." Rory told her.

"We'll see."

"You guys, really. I'm ok. Between Logan, Honor, and my sisters, I'll be just fine. I've also got Blake, Josh, Shira and Mitchum. I'm ok. Mom needs to get back to work, and Grandma, you and Grandpa are always so busy. You guys don't need to worry about me. I also have Rosalinda. I have an entire army of help. Hey Logan, April got the interview at the hospital." Rory said as Logan walked out of the closet wearing gym clothes, and headed back into their bedroom.

"Oh good! When is it?"

"Monday. Mom is picking the girls up from the train station tomorrow."

"That's awesome! Tell her I'm excited for her."

"I will."

"Are you sure that you don't need anything?"

"I'm positive! Mom and Grandma just brought me my computer and work stuff from my office. I'm all set. You go work out."

"Lorelai, please call me if anything happens. I'm going to go run the neighborhood, then work out downstairs."

"I always do." Lorelai told him as she sat down on the bed next to Rory, and reached for the TV remote.

"I love you Ace. Get some rest, ok?"

"I will. I love you too." Rory said giving Logan a kiss, then watching as he left.

"So Rory, your Grandma and I were just thinking . . . Since you are stuck on bed rest, and probably won't be able to come down to the Hollow for your baby shower next weekend, what if we brought the shower to you? We can rent a couple party buses, and bring everyone up here."

"Mom, that's crazy!"

"Maybe, but if we cancel the party, you know how upset the entire town will be. I was thinking that maybe we could have the party at HPG rather than doing it here, because HPG is obviously bigger. I'm sure we can get Paris to agree to let you go to your own baby shower right here in town, as long as she is the one babysitting you, and you are transported in a wheelchair."

"If you can convince Paris to let you do it, then you have my permission. Honor and Logan will help you get the space at HPG."

"Deal!" Lorelai said excitedly. "I will text Lane right now, and let her know."

"This is giving me flashbacks to Lane's shower." Rory chuckled.

"Except for that you and I don't fight like Lane and her Mom."

"Hey, please make sure that Mrs. Kim comes. It will mean a lot to me."

"I will hog tie her, and stuff her into the car myself if I need to."

"Thanks Mom."

"Rory, we also have the DAR shower next Sunday that we were going to have at my house. I can move it here, if that is ok with you. I'm sure the ladies won't mind coming to New York for the afternoon."

"If that's what you want to do Grandma, then you have my blessing."

"Don't you worry about a single thing. I will take care of everything. You just need to get yourself some rest, ok?"

"I'm doing my best. Thanks for being here Grandma. I am so lucky to have you, Mom and Grandpa so involved in my life. Not all pregnant women have this much support."

"There is nowhere else that we would even dream of being. Now you get some rest. I'm going to head downstairs, and make some phone calls while I get everything ready for dinner."

"Thank you Grandma."

"Luke just texted. He's about 30 minutes out." Lorelai said as her phone buzzed.

"Luke is coming? Dang, I would kill for some of his cherry pie."

"I'll let him know to stop at the store."

"Peach cobbler too?"

"Yes! And smores! Luke is going to hate us!" Lorelai laughed as she began furiously typing, responding to her husband's message.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, kid."

"I am so glad that you are here. I was so scared today."

"I know baby. Why don't I just stay the whole week. I don't need to go back. Sookie and Michel can run the inn without me. You need me more than they do."

"Mom, you have so much stuff to do."

"I know, but you and the baby matter a heck of a lot more than any stuff that I have. I'm going to stay. You're my baby girl. I would feel terrible leaving when you need me most."

"I have a ton of help Mom. I'll be ok."

"Rory, have I ever not been there when you needed me?"

"Not even once."

"Exactly! And you need me right now. So I'm staying."

"Just remember, I never asked you to." Rory said as she latched onto Lorelai's arm, and laid her head on her mother's shoulder.

"I know baby. I'm a mom. This is what Moms do. And someday, when Ayribella is older, and she's going through something tough, you'll be right there for her, just like I'm here for you now. And as long as I'm not dead yet, I'll be there for Ayribella too."

"You won't ever die. You are Lorelai Gilmore. You're immortal. You are going to live forever."

"Hey, I'm game if you are." Lorelai smiled, pressing a kiss to her daughter's head.

"You won't see me complaining."

"Hey Ror . . . I know that you know this already, but did you see how completely HOT your husband looked in those gym clothes?"

"Yeah he did." Rory agreed, a huge smile spreading over her face.

"You are a lucky duck my child. Do you know how many women would kill to look at that all day?"

"Don't say anything to Logan about it. He's really self-conscious."

"Are you serious?! Logan looks like a God, and he's self-conscious about it?!"

"Logan knows exactly how good he looks, and he takes pride in it. But he's really self-conscious about all the extra attention that it gets him. That's why he's always wearing normal clothes whenever anyone is around. He doesn't like flaunting his looks."

"Well that boy has some serious issues then, because he definitely should flaunt it."

"I agree, but he's weird about it."

"Well, aside from Paris bitching at him for it, I'm glad that you at least have an exciting sex life."

"Thanks Mom. I definitely have nothing to complain about."

"If I was younger and single, you might have some competition."

"Really? You would compete with me for my husband?"

"If you weren't my daughter, and you two weren't married, I might consider it for a minute."

"Ok, this conversation is just disturbing now."

"Just a little bit." Lorelai chuckled. "Should we find a movie to watch?"

"Yes! Actually, hand me the controller. I have a great idea! Since you think my husband is so hot, there is this show I want you to check out. There is a guy on there that I swear is Logan's doppelganger."

"Oh really?!"

"Yeah, check this out. I have some episodes saved on the dvr. It's called The Resident. This Character, is a doctor named Conrad Hawkins. I swear, he's totally Logan. It's the funniest thing. Logan refuses to watch the show with me because it creeps him out."

"How can a show creep him out?"

"He thinks it's weird that this guy looks exactly like him. Plus, the whole medical thing in the show, Logan says that he lives it, so he doesn't need to be watching it on tv."

"I guess I can kind of see his point there."

"Ok, so check this out. Tell me what you think when you see him." Rory said as she hit the play button.

"No way!" Lorelai gasped. "That guy even sounds like Logan!"

"Right?! It's so crazy. Logan hates it!"

"Did you check the actor's name to see if maybe they're related?"

"Honor said that they aren't. The guy is from Tennessee."

"Well maybe he might be related on Shira's side? They don't know very much about that side of the family, right? Doesn't Shira have 8 siblings or something?"

"She does. Maybe I'll have Honor ask. "I think Logan might freak if I brought it up again.

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * 6:00pm * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Hey there muscles, how was your run?" Lorelai asked when Logan walked back into his bedroom.

"It was good. I need to shower. Honor says food is on its way. What are you guys watching."

"Nothing." Rory chirped, turning the tv off.

"Oh geez."

"We're watching your long lost twin."

"He's not my twin."

"Uh, yeah, he is. Have you seen him?!"

"Mom, we already had this conversation." Rory told her.

"Logan just needs to embrace the hotness."

"Hey Mom, why don't you go make sure that Grandma got everything ready for dinner before the rest of the family gets here."

"Luke is down there."

"And probably cooking that pie we asked for."

"Go make sure everything is ready. I'll be down when Logan is ready."

"Fine." Lorelai pouted.

"So your Mom is calling me muscles now?" Logan asked once Lorelai was out of the room.

"Because you look hot in that outfit."

"So now your Mom is checking me out."

"She said that if she were younger, we weren't married, and I wasn't her daughter, I would have some competition."

"Great! I'm not safe in my own house! That's just awesome!"

"Really Logan? You have no reason to be so sensitive about your looks. You spend a ton of time working out, just so you can look the way you do. You should be proud of yourself."

"I am proud of myself. I'm just uncomfortable being ogled."

"I'm sorry, but you really need to get used to it, because unless you suddenly get hit with the ugly stick, it's not going to stop. You always tell me that I should flaunt my assets, so you need to start doing the same thing."

"That's different."

"Oh really? How is it different?"

"Because no one treats you like you are a piece of meat."

"Please tell me that you are kidding. The only reason that you don't notice all the looks and comments that I get when you flaunt me around, is because you are right there, completely focused on being with me. But I still see and hear everything that is going on around us. I get treated the exact same way that you do. You just need to ignore it, and learn how to reap the benefits of all your hard work. You look amazing! You deserve to enjoy it."

"I only enjoy it, when it's you ogling me. It's completely different when it's other people."

"But the sooner you embrace it, the sooner it won't matter anymore. If you dress like this all the time, people will eventually stop caring because it's nothing that they haven't seen before."

"Because you've clearly gotten past my looks." Logan chuckled.

"Yeah, you wish! It's like opening a new hot firefighter calendar every day."

"My point exactly."

"Really Logan? Because you are one to talk. I'll make you a deal."

"What's that?"

"If you make an effort to embrace the hotness, I will too. You can dress me in whatever you want, as long as the outfit is appropriate for whatever we have going on that day."

"So if I got pull a tight low cut dress out of the closet right now, you'll put it on?"

"I said appropriate for the event. We are have having a low key birthday party for your mom, with our parents and grandparents."

"So tight dress with a higher neckline."

"That's better. I'll wear whatever you put me in, as long as you embrace it too."

"I need to shower."

"Go shower, and then find something for us to wear."

"Do you want to go pick something that you approve of?"

"Since when do you let me pick your clothes?"

"You said that I have to embrace the hotness."

"I think jeans and a tight shirt will be just fine."

"Why don't you go pick something, and I'll put it on when I'm done in the shower."

"You're letting me get out of bed?"

"You're walking across the room. It's the equivalent of walking to the bathroom. And there's a chair in the closet for you to sit in."

"Alright."

"Do you need help getting up?"

"I'm not sure."

"Give me your hand. I'll help you get to the closet before I jump in the shower." Logan said holding his hand out, and helping his wife out of bed.

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * 30 Minutes Later * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"Rory, you look so pretty." Shira said, greeting her daughter in-law as she walked into the Huntzberger family room

"Thank you Shira, so do you. I love your dress."

"How are you feeling Honey? I heard you've had an eventful day."

"I am on even stricter bed rest than I was before. I'm not allowed to move off this couch."

"Oh, well that is just terrible! Logan is taking care of you though, right?"

"He is, and he's doing a great job. You raised an amazing son."

"Thank you Honey. That is so sweet of you to say. Logan, there you are Sweetie."

"Hey Mom. I'm sorry about earlier. I'll make it up to you." Logan said, kissing his mom on the cheek, then moving to Rory, and handing her a glass of juice.

"Is everything ok?"

"Honor didn't tell you?"

"She just said you had to rush Rory to the doctor. Is everything alright with the baby?"

"For right now . . . Ayribella apparently decided that she wanted to join us for your birthday."

"Oh! Well, that sounds very sweet, but isn't it still way too early for that?"

"It is. We stopped the contractions, but Rory needs to stay in bed so we can keep her out of labor as long as possible. She didn't want to miss your birthday, so I brought her downstairs, but Rory isn't allowed to move off this couch."

"Well then I will sit down right here, and keep her company. Why don't you go help your sister. She shouldn't be doing so much while pregnant."

"Please, I've told Honor that about a million times, but she refuses to listen to me." Logan told her.

"And I've officially been kicked out of the kitchen." Honor said joining them in the family room a moment later."

"Lorelai pulled rank?"

"Yep! She told me to go sit with the other preggo and let her take care of everything."

"Honor, there is room on the couch if you want to join me?" Rory told her. "You can put your feet up."

"That's ok. I'll take the chair, it's easier to get up. Plus, it leaves Logan room on the couch so he can rub your feet."

"Hey, I like that idea."

"Logan, you have a beautiful house." Maggie said as she entered the family room with Dedrick.

"Thank you so much. Rory, her Mom and Grandma did all the decorating while I was at work. This house is credit to all of them."

"Maggie, if you'd like, I'm sure my Grandma wouldn't mind giving you all a tour." Rory offered.

"That would be lovely." Maggie smiled.

"Mom, why don't you go with them. You haven't seen the nursery since they started decorating." Honor spoke up.

"Hey Grandma?" Rory called over the additional noise.

"I'll go grab her." Logan spoke up. "Maggie, why don't you guys follow me."

"Thanks Babe."

"Not a problem. I'll be right back."


	78. Chapter 78

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

We move in 1 day!

Sorry I haven't been around to update this week. Things have been so crazy, and I've had major writers block. Now that my house is about 95% packed, I had some down time tonight, so I thought I would try to get something written for you guys. I really hope that you enjoy it.

On top of all the stress an anxiety of this crazy week, I've managed to end up sick again. This is my family's 5th move in the last two years, and the third where I've ended up sick. The last two moves, I was sick the day after moving, so coming down with crap 2 days prior is a slight relief. Unfortunately for me, I'm having a lot of trouble breathing, so I really haven't been a team player getting the house packed up. With the major anxiety attack I had for several days, I was basically in survival mode, and now it feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest. I went to the doctor this morning, and my blood work was fine, my ears I guess were clear even though they've been really bothering me lately, and somehow even though I've been feeling like I'm suffocating, someone how my oxygen is still at 98%. I am so confused by it! Being a professional asthmatic, my husband explained it to me last night. I might feel like I am suffocating, but thanks to the nebulizer treatments that I've been doing, he said that I am at least taking in enough oxygen that it is able to circulate through my blood, even though my lungs aren't absorbing it like they should be. My lungs are inflamed for some reason. It could be because of allergies, the craptastic southern hot and extremely humid weather, or some kind of cleaner, perfume, or cologne that I inhaled while walking through Walmart and running last minute errands yesterday. I always wear a mask when I go out, have been since march. But somehow yesterday, while I was at Walmart, the suffocation feeling started, and continued to worsen throughout the rest of the day. I've been coughing, had a fever off and on, been congested . . . The Doctor this morning said that I sound fluish, but it's not flu season, so she tested me for Covid. The results should be back on Tuesday, but I'm now on mandatory self quarantine until I get a negative result. My husband and I don't think that I've got it, but then again, you never know now that Covid has become airborne. I could have gotten it anywhere. Hubby and I have both been perfectly healthy since April, and I'm the only one sick right now. My kids have started coughing a little bit, but they seem fine right now. We'll see how it goes. My results should be in by Tuesday. Hubby went out yesterday and got the covid antibody test. He was in the hospital with pneumonia back in October, so there is a good chance that he may have had it back then. Those results should be in on Monday, so I'll keep you all posted.

Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask. The crap that is going around right now is really nasty! I am completely miserable, and even though we don't think that I have Covid, there is always a chance, and I would never wish this illness on any of you.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I have been cracking up reading them lately. Thank you so much! You guys really keep me going. I really look forward to reading every single one of them. I've even responded to a few, so check your messages!

* * *

"Hey April! I'm glad you could join us. I heard you've got an interview at the hospital tomorrow." Logan said, greeting his sister in-law as she walked into his home office.

"I did, it's tomorrow at 9am."

"Would you like me to go with you? I don't mind walking you in. I already put in a recommendation, but I don't mind going over with you if you'd like me to."

"Thank you, but I'm sure I'll be ok. I actually have a question for you."

"Alright."

"So I know that Rory is on bed rest because she went into premature labor. But . . . Do you think that maybe G and I could take her out for some fun if we got a wheelchair, and promise to not let her move out of it?"

"I don't know April. Rory needs to not be moving around."

"I know that, and so does G. But it's spring break, and we don't get to spend much time together. Plus, Rory's baby shower is this next weekend. G and I wanted to take her out for a sister day."

"What were you wanting to do?"

"We were thinking of maybe getting facials, lunch, catching a movie, maybe doing some shopping. We just want to give her a fun day of distraction from everything that's been going on. Maybe do some sight seeing. We can look into things that allow handicapped access, and aren't too crowded."

"I feel like we should ask Paris for permission."

"You of all people know that Paris would never agree to doing anything fun. What if we let you come too? That way Rory has immediate medical treatment if she needs it. We'll even let Lorelai come to give us extra help."

"What day did you want to do all of this?"

"What day would you be able to go with us?"

"Would you give me a day to think about it?"

"Sure. You deserve that."

"Why don't you and G talk and get a plan together. Let me know when you're ready, and we'll talk about it. I'm not going to make any promises, but I will at least take your plans into consideration."

"That is fair. Thank you."

"You're welcome. It looks like my schedule is clear on Wednesday, so if you wanted to look into doing something then, I would be able to go."

"I'll go talk to G right now." April said with a smile as she turned to leave the office.

"Hey April?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're here. Rory really needs her sisters right now."

"There is nowhere else that I would rather be."

"One more thing . . . I know that we promised to be at your graduation in a few weeks."

"Don't even worry about it. Rory and the baby are way more important than my graduation. You would be there if you could."

"Well the good news is that Rory will be delivering early. So there is a chance that all three of us may be able to make it."

"That would be great, but I don't want to put that kind of pressure on you guys."

"You aren't. Your graduation is important to us. We'll be there if we can."

"Thanks Logan."

"It's my pleasure."

_***~*~*~* 5 Minutes Later *~*~*~***_

"So, what did Logan say?" Georgia asked as April walked into her room in the Huntzberger basement.

"He said that he'll think about it. That we should get a plan together, then take it to him, and that Wednesday would be best."

"Awesome! So I was thinking that maybe we could go visit the 9/11 museum. You were just a baby when that all happened, and I wasn't even born yet. We've both only heard stories about it, but Rory and Logan lived it, so maybe we can all go, and they can tell us what it was like living nearby when it happened."

"I really like that idea! Rory was still in high school, but I think Logan was in college already. They probably have completely different stories about it."

"Exactly!" Georgia agreed. "I'm learning about it in school right now, so I think it'll be nice to have kind of an insiders perspective on it."

"Yes! I like it!"

"Do you think that the Statue Of Liberty is wheelchair accessible?"

"I have no idea, but we've got google." April said as she pulled out her phone, and quickly punched some buttons. "It looks like it is. We'll need to get a reservation, but I think using the name Huntzberger may push us to the front of the line."

"Awesome! So I just found this place called the Daily News Building. I think Rory might really like that, being in the newspaper business. There is a second news building as well; the New York Amsterdam."

"You don't think that Rory already been there?"

"I have no idea. We should go to the original Macy's store, and to FAO Schwarz."

"Maybe we can get Logan to take us to take us to the Tiffany and Company building."

"Logan shops there all the time." Georgia told her.

"I know, but I've never been. I just want to go look. See what the big deal is."

"I'm pretty sure that Logan will be all over that one. Let's find some famous place to get lunch."

"The Carnegie Deli! I've heard so much about it, and it sounds absolutely amazing!"

"Damn, it looks like FAO Schwarz is closed. They were bought out by Toys R Us, and closed down a couple years ago."

"That sucks! I'm sure we can find somewhere to go shopping near that Macy's store and Tiffany's. You know that Logan knows exactly where to go." April told her.

"This is very true."

"Do you think that Rory is going to need a nap to keep going?"

"I'm not sure. If she does, we can cut the day short, or break it up into different parts. Let's just get a plan together, and play it by ear. You never know with Rory being on bed rest and dealing with preterm labor, what may happen.

"That's a really good point. So I think that we've got a really good starting point."

"Should we go talk to Logan?"

"Yeah, let's do it!"

"I think he'll be cool with it. Especially when we throw in the Tiffany's visit. Logan is kind of a shop-a-holic."

"Did you hear that Tiffany's is opening a restaurant?"

"They are?!" Georgia asked excitedly.

"It looks like it won't be open until this coming winter, but we should totally go there as soon as it opens."

"I'm pretty sure that we can score opening day reservations with Logan's help."

"Let's go talk to him about that right now. They probably book pretty far out in advance." April told her, as she stuffed her phone back into her pocket.

"I'm right behind you." Georgia agreed, setting her computer down, and following April out of the room, to find Logan.

"Hey Girls, dinner will be ready in about an hour." Luke said as he passed the girls coming up the basement stairs."

"What are you making?" Georgia asked.

"I'm grilling burgers and hot dogs with potato salad, fries, salad, pasta, corn on the cob, and s'mores for dessert. Shira's family is still in town until tomorrow morning, so they'll be heading over shortly."

"Is she still being decent?" April asked.

"Rory says that she is. She's actually been super nice and supportive. I know that she isn't anyone's favorite person, but if you guys could just stick it out for Rory and Logan, I know that they will really appreciate it."

"We are happy to. We'll be Rory's bouncers in case the dragon lady goes after her."

"You two are amazing sisters. Rory is lucky to have you both."

"We're the ones who are lucky." Georgia told him. "Do you know where Logan is?"

"I think he's still in his office. Why, what's going on?"

"It's spring break, and we need to have some fun while we're here." April told him.

"So you're asking his permission?"

"We want Rory to go with us. Logan said that if we get a wheelchair and get a game plan together, he'll think about it."

"Have you come up with anything?"

"We have. A few historic places, lunch at Carnegie Deli, the 9/11 museum, statue of liberty and some shopping. We might not be able to do all of it, but it's a start."

"I'm learning about the events of 9/11 in school right now, so we thought it would be fun to go visit the museum and hear Rory and Logan's side of what they went through living fairly close by." Georgia explained.

"I think that is a great idea! April would have been a tiny baby when that stuff happened, and you weren't even born yet. Rory was still in high school. I remember that day pretty well. They say that it's one of those thing that you will always remember where you were, and what you were doing when you found out. Kind of like when President Roosevelt was assassinated. Or when Princess Diana was killed."

"Yeah, Dad, we weren't alive for any of that." April reminded him.

"I know you weren't. I'm just saying that it is one of those days that goes down in History as something that is scared into your memory. Georgia, I think it will be really good for you to see it, and get an in depth knowledge before you go back to school."

"I agree. It'll be fun. Seeing the Statue Of Liberty will be good for Georgia too. Maybe one day this week the two of us can take a trip out to see the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. We can do a whole educational trip and see all the things that you'll be learning about."

"That sounds fun." Georgia agreed.

"I think Rory would love to do that too. She loves history." Luke told them.

"Let's try to do it this summer then. We can do a sisters trip up and down the coast. When you get to be a senior, you'll be taking government, and learning about the constitution and all of that stuff. We can go see all of it." April told her.

"Ok, that sounds really fun."

"What sounds fun?" Logan asked, walking out of his office, and joining Luke at the girls at the top of the basement stairs.

"The girls want to take a US History tour over the summer, to show Georgia all the things she'll be learning in school." Luke told him.

"That's a great idea! Rory would love to do that with you." Logan agreed.

"That's what Dad just said. I was thinking of taking Georgia to see the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Dad and I got to see it when I went to the math competition in Junior High, but Georgia hasn't been. And maybe when we're there, we can go stop by and see my cousin Jess."

"I'm sure that Jess would love you see you guys." Luke commented.

"I'm not the biggest Jess fan, but him and Rory are friends, so whatever you guys decide to do is fine." Logan added.

"We'll talk to Rory. I'm sure she'll want to be in on the planning." Georgia told them.

"Have you guys talked about a plan for this week?" Logan asked.

"We have, we were just coming to find you. We were thinking of going to the 9/11 museum. Georgia is learning about 9/11 in school, and you and Rory both lived through it, so we thought it would be interesting to go check it out, and get your stories about living nearby when everything happened." April answered.

"I like it! Go on."

"Maybe go see Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty. We checked, and it's fully wheelchair accessible. We'll need to get a reservation, but . . ."

"The Huntzberger name is good for something around here." Logan smiled, cutting in.

"Exactly! Speaking of the Huntzberger name . . . Your favorite store, Tiffany's, is opening a restaurant this winter."

"I'm already on the list."

"Can you add us?" Georgia asked.

"I think I've got a group of ten or something."

"Nice!"

"So we also thought of doing some shopping and going to Carnegie Deli for lunch. We wanted to go to FAO Schwarz, but it closed down. We were thinking the Macy's Company store would be fun, and of course the Tiffany's building because we know that you're their best customer." April told him.

"Definitely not their best, but I think I might be fairly close." Logan agreed.

"We were also thinking about checking out a couple historic newspaper buildings. We thought that Rory might really like it."

"If she hasn't already been there. Although, even if she has, I'm sure that she will be all over going back. But let me give you a little heads up . . . No libraries or book stores, unless you want Rory to never leave."

"Yeah, those weren't even on our list. We haven't made a long list because we don't know how much Rory will feel up to, or how much you will be comfortable with her doing, so we are keeping the list short, and if we need to take a nap break, or whatever, we can." Georgia added.

"I think you have a solid list." Logan told them. "I'll call tomorrow, and see if I can get reservations for Ellis Island."

"Thanks Logan! We are so excited!"

"I think this will be exactly what Rory needs. I'll take care of getting a wheelchair set up. Luke, do you and Lorelai want to come with us?"

"Lorelai and I are heading back home today."

"We are looking at going on Wednesday." April told him.

"Lorelai may be here, but I'll be working. You can talk to her. I know that she's working with Emily on moving the baby showers up here this weekend, so she may be a little bit busy, but you can definitely mention it to her."

"Why don't you let me see if I can get everything organized, and then we'll talk to Lorelai." Logan told them.

"That is a good idea." Luke agreed. "Hey Logan, I need to run out to get more propane for your grill. Do you need anything from the store?"

"Dad, can G and I go with you?" April asked.

"Yeah, of course!"

"I think I'm ok, but let me run and check with Rory. I'll text you whatever she wants." Logan answered.

"Thanks. Girls go get ready, I need to go pretty quick so I can get the burgers and hot dogs cooked. Everything else is ready to go."

"That sounds delicious!" Logan told him. "I'll run upstairs right now."

"Thanks Logan." Luke said watching as Logan headed up the stairs.

"I'm going to go grab my purse." April said, turning to head back to the basement.

"Me too. We'll be right back." Georgia said, following her sister.

"Girls, you don't need purses. I'll pay for whatever. That's what Dads are for." Luke told them. "Just grab your shoes."

"Dad, you don't have to do that. I'm a grown up now." April told him as the girls headed down the stairs.

"You might be an adult, but you're still my little girl. You too G. Just grab your shoes. I've got it." Luke called after them.

"I love you, Dad!" April called over her shoulder.

"Love you, Uncle Luke!" Georgia echoed, causing Luke to beam with pride as he wanted for the girls to return.

_***~*~*~* 45 Minutes Later *~*~*~***_

"S'mores and ice cream sandwiches, all kinds of sweet and salty snacks . . ." Georgia beamed excitedly as she helped April put the groceries away.

"And healthy snacks, because it's Dad and Logan." April added. "My Dad is the greatest!"

"Yeah he is. I love that he treats me like I'm his kid too."

"Dad has always done that with Rory. He was basically her Dad from the time she was really little. He's always been incredibly accepting."

"It's really awesome! I basically have 4 parents."

"Yeah, me too. I love it! It's the best!"

"Rory will definitely agree with you two." Emily said, joining the girls in the kitchen. "I heard you got ice cream sandwiches."

"3 different kinds." Georgia told her. "Hey Grandma, do you need help with the parties this weekend?"

"Yeah, I can definitely use your help, if you girls don't mind. I would love to have you both involved."

"Whatever you need, count us in. We are going to take a girls day probably on Wednesday, but otherwise, we are yours. Oh, except during my job interview tomorrow." April told her.

"I've been waiting for you to mention that. I didn't want to pry, but I am really excited for you, April! I'm sure that you'll get the position. I know that Logan wrote an amazing recommendation for you."

"I am super excited! I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, but I REALLY want it!"

"Do you have an outfit picked out for your interview? We might have some time left today to do some shopping if you need it."

"I brought a few outfits with me, but if you'd like you can look at them after dinner, and decide what you think would be best. I'm sure that I can borrow something from Rory and Honor if you think that they have something better."

"I would be completely honored to help you out with that!" Emily gushed.

"Thank you Grandma! Your support means a lot to me." April told her.

"Hey, I may not be your Grandmother by blood, but we're family. And I love you both, nonetheless. I can't tell you just how thrilled I am to get to be both of your Grandmother. I've always only had Rory, and she's been the pride and joy of this family, but having you both is such a pleasure. You two are such amazing sisters. It makes me really happy to see you both with Rory. Having a sister is such an amazing gift. She is incredibly lucky to have you guys."

"Rory is amazing! She's always been a good sister to me." Georgia told her.

"Me too." April agreed. "Rory adopted me right in, the second I met her. I was 12 at the time, but she's always been so sweet and so accepting."

"Georgia, Rory was there when you were born, did you know that?" Emily asked.

"I did know that. Lorelai was there too. Dad told me that Rory was almost forced to go into the delivery room with my Mom while Dad was still on the road, trying to get there. She was completely terrified!"

"Rory never had a close relationship with Christopher until recently. But having you for a sister, definitely helped with that. Rory got her Dad back, while before you, he was more out of her life than in it. Rory didn't have a Dad growing up the way that you did. She only had Lorelai. And I know that Luke was there an awful lot too."

"I didn't have a Dad until I was 11." April told her. "I totally know what Rory went through. It can be tough only having one parent, but my Mom made sure that I never went without, just like I know Lorelai did for Rory."

"That's right. You were all raised by wonderful parents. But you all have an even better family unit now. I may not have always been the best Grandmother to Rory, but I am doing my best to change that, and that includes being a Grandma to both of you. We may not be blood, but I've grown to love you both as if we are. You two are both absolutely wonderfully, intelligent young ladies, and Richard and I are both so very proud of you. I hope that you two know that." Emily told them.

"Thank you Grandma! That means a lot to me!" April said, reaching out to hug Emily. "You know, I was just thinking, that maybe if you aren't too busy next month, my Graduation is coming up . . . I know that Boston is kind of far away, but maybe you would like to come."

"I would love you!" Emily said excitedly. "Georgia, I will of course be there when you graduate from high school too, if you would like me to be there. There is nowhere else that I would even dream of being. You just get me the information, and Richard and I will get it on the calendar."

"Thank you Grandma." April smiled. "I am really looking forward to it. And I hear that you and I are going to almost be roommates."

"That we are. The apartment is almost done. And I hope we can spend some time together after you move."

"Definitely! That would be really nice!"

"Georgia, are you going to Paris this summer?" Emily asked.

"I think so. My Mom has been asking me to go see her. I'm not sure how long I want to go for through, I want to be here with Rory and the baby too."

"Well when you decide, you let me know, and I will take you shopping for some new clothes to take with you. We'll have a girls day, just the two of us."

"Thank you Grandma! I love that idea!"

"Richard and I usually take a trip to Europe every summer, but we are forgoing that this year, to be with the Baby. Maybe next year we can sync up our trips and do some tours or something together while we are both there."

"That would be awesome!"

"Rory wants to start taking some family trips, so we'll definitely include both of you in those."

"That sounds really great. I'll have to find out what kind of vacation time the hospital will give me." April commented.

"I'm sure Logan can help you with that information. He's been there for a while, so I'm sure he knows the policies pretty well." Emily told her.

"He was going to be the first person I asked."

"The hospital will be an amazing place for you to start. Logan loves it there!"

"I know, that's what made me want the job so much. They've been so great to both Rory and Logan, I can't imagine going anywhere else. Logan set up a tour for me a few months ago, and the lab is so amazing! I am really looking forward to moving here."

"You have an incredible opportunity right in front of you. I am so glad that you are taking it."

"Me too. I was shocked when Rory and Logan offered to let me live here. Honor did the same thing for Logan, and they insisted on helping me out the exact same way."

"And I'm sure they will offer the same thing to you too Georgia, if you decide you want to move to New York too." Emily told her.

"They've already offered. I'm not sure exactly what I want to do just yet, but I am definitely keeping them in mind."

"Well you let me know whatever I can do to help you, alright?"

"I will Grandma. Thank you very much." Georgia told her.

"Come on girls, let's head outside for some dinner. Logan should be heading downstairs with Rory in just a few minutes. Why don't we go find some seats before the rest of the family comes over from Honor's house."

"That's a really good idea. Do you think the pool is warm enough to dip our feet in?" Georgia asked.

"I'm not sure if it's even got water or anything in it. Why don't we talk to Logan tomorrow and see if we can get the pool man out here this week."

"I love that idea!" April agreed.


	79. Chapter 79

DISCLAIMER:

I own NOTHING!

~ Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving me reviews! I love reading what you have to say. :-)

~ I hope you all are enjoying this story, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Drop me some reviews! :-)

~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~

OMG you guys, my move was a freaking NIGHTMARE! Even I couldn't have written or predicted all of the utter BS that went down. It's now been 2 weeks, and the crap still isn't over. It was literally unreal amounts of complete and utter bull shit! And it all started the day before we moved when we went to pick up the moving truck. I'm going to try to write this all out, but it's A LOT! I'll post my nightmare at the end of this chapter. Let me know what you all think. And feel free to laugh, because I am! I am so sorry that it's been over two weeks since my last update, but when you read the BS that we've been through lately, you'll understand. I left some smaller incidents out, but all the big stuff is there. It's been a literal shit show! LOL

Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask. The crap that is going around right now is really nasty! I am completely miserable, and even though we don't think that I have Covid, there is always a chance, and I would never wish this illness on any of you.

Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I have been cracking up reading them lately. Thank you so much! You guys really keep me going. I really look forward to reading every single one of them. I've even responded to a few, so check your messages!

* * *

"Hey, how was your trip?" Emily asked, walking into Rory's bedroom Wednesday evening, to check on her granddaughter.

"It was amazing!" Rory smiled. "It was exactly what I needed. I have pictures if you'd like to see them."

"I would love to!"

"It was so great Grandma! Have you been to the Statue of Liberty before?"

"Not for a very long time." Emily answered as she sat down next to Rory on the bed.

"You should go with us next time. We want to go back after Ayribella is born, and hike the stairs up to the crown. Because I was wheelchair bound, we could only go up to the pedestal observation deck. But the city looked so pretty even from just that high up. I can only imagine what the view is like from the very top."

"I've never been to the very top either."

"You definitely need to go with us then. It was so great to be out in the sun today. The weather was completely perfect! Just being out there felt wonderful! It was perfectly warm with a nice breeze. It just felt good to be outside." Rory told her, smiling at the memory of standing outside on observation deck of the Statue of Liberty, looking out over the water toward New York city. The sun had been shining brightly in the sky, and it had been a beautiful spring day. After being stuck on bed rest for weeks, it had felt so relaxing to be outside in the fresh air. Rory had enjoyed watching her sisters take in the sights of New York, snapping pictures throughout their adventure. She was having a great time hanging out with them during spring break. Sister time was exactly what she needed. Growing up as an only child, Rory had no idea what it was like to have someone there with her who actually understood her life, other than Logan. Having a sister to hang out with and talk to was all new to her, but she was really enjoying it. She was finally beginning to understand the bond that Logan had with his own sister.

"Where all did you go today?"

"We started the day with a visit to Paris to check on the baby, then went to brunch in the city at this amazing French bistro. The food was so good! Then we went over to the 9/11 museum for a while, which was really nice."

"Was it uncomfortable for you at all? When your Grandfather and I went, it was just a little bit uncomfortable. Like this eerie unsettling feeling. You know that you are perfectly safe, but it just has a way of bringing you back to that day, and how rattling it was."

"Yes! That is exactly what it was like! I couldn't figure out what that odd feeling was that I was feeling. I mentioned it to Logan, and we just couldn't pin point it. It was just strange. But that is exactly what it was. It just took you right back to that moment."

"That was such an odd day. Your grandfather was supposed to head out on business that morning, but then his flight was canceled, and he came back home."

"I never knew that."

"Had he been on an earlier flight, he would have been stranded out of town for several days. One of the men in his office was stranded in Nebraska for over a week because he couldn't get a flight back home, and all the car rentals were taken. His wife finally had to drive out to pick him up, and drive him back home."

"Wow, that's crazy!"

"Richard knew a man on the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania. It was very devastating."

"I had no idea."

"He doesn't like to talk about it. They weren't close, but it was a still a tough loss."

"Wow, poor Grandpa." Rory said softly.

"How did your sisters like it? Gigi wasn't even born when it happened, and April was just a baby."

"They learned about it in school, and we talked about it today. Where Logan and I both were when it happened. Logan was overseas on a trip with some friends, unable to get home for two weeks. Even having a private jet, they couldn't fly. He said that even for as much fun as they had all been having, it was a somber end to the carefree leisure. Everyone just hung around the hotel, not feeling up to doing anything. They all just wanted to go back home, but couldn't."

"Where was he?"

"Greece. He had gone with Collin, Finn, and the crew. It was one of those typical drunken college frat boy trips. There were like 10 or 15 people in their group, and it was one huge party, until it just wasn't. Logan said they had been at the Santorini International Music Festival, and all of a sudden, everyone's phones started ringing, with their parents calling. Logan said that his parents never called him when he was on one of those trips, but all of a sudden, everyone's phones started going crazy. Logan said that as soon as they found out what was going on, everyone wanted to go home, but couldn't. They were stuck for two weeks. They couldn't even enjoy themselves because they were so worried about when they would be able to go home. Then, even when they did finally get to leave, the only thing that really made the trip home more bearable was that they were flying privately and had known their pilot for years. But he said it was still pretty uncomfortable."

"Wow, I can't even imagine." Emily commented.

"I know, me either. Mom pulled me out of school that morning. She didn't want me away from her for the rest of that week. Logan said that when he was finally able to get home, both Shira and Honor were at the airport waiting for him, which never happened."

"I imagine they were worried sick."

"I would have been too. That week was so terrifyingly weird."

"Had you guys ever talked about it before?"

"No. Amazingly enough, it never came up."

"It's kind of odd how it's almost become taboo. It's one of those things that you don't really talk about, unless directly asked. And it's a subject that doesn't come up a lot, but then when it does, people quickly shut it down."

"That is so true." Rory agreed.

"The entire situation is just so sad. So many lives were lost that day."

"It was really surreal to be there today. We went to lunch after, and were still in a weird funk for another hour. Going over to Ellis Island helped snap us out of it, and reminded us of happier times. It was a great trip. We did some shopping, and enjoyed being out of the house. G and April had asked Logan to take us to Tiffany's. None of us had ever been, so Logan was actually really excited for that."

"You'd never been to Tiffany's?"

"Logan does his shopping alone."

"He'd never taken you?"

"Nope! It was always just something that he did to surprise me. I had never been before today. I honestly never had any desire to. I'm just not that person."

"You aren't materialistic at all."

"I'm really not. That kind of stuff just isn't my thing. Logan likes to spoil me with expensive things, but at the end of the day, I'm still me. I might be CEO of a giant multi-national company, but I'm still the same Rory that I've always been. My bank account might be a lot bigger, but it still means nothing to me. I actually don't even know how much is in it because Logan has an accountant that takes care of everything for us. I couldn't even tell you how much money we make because I honestly have no idea."

"That's both a good and a bad thing. I know what you mean by not knowing how much you make though, because I've always been that wife. Richard always took care of everything. I never had to think about it."

"It's kind of nice not having to worry about any of it. I didn't even look at it when we signed our tax forms. The accountant went over everything with Logan, but it was all so far over my head that I don't really know what it means anyway. I know that the business is doing really well, and we are making more money than we spend. I honestly don't even keep up with the financials because it's just not my thing. I have a team of people for that, and they all answer to Logan. I haven't needed to learn that side of things."

"Sometimes it's just more relaxing to not have that kind of stress in your life."

"It really is. HPG has an entire department for all the financial stuff, and then there are several different teams to deal with each financial aspect. And even with all of those teams, Logan has our own private accountant who double checks all of their work to make sure that it's all accurate, and isn't being embezzled somewhere."

"That is really smart of him."

"Logan might claim to hate the family business, and have nothing to do with it. But the reality of the situation is that he's the real CEO of the company. My name is just the one being flaunted around."

"Which is why it's after 9pm, and Logan is the one downstairs in his office, working, while you are up here in bed, watching tv."

"Exactly! He took the day off to spend with me, so now he's working the night away to make up for it."

"Logan is a lot like his father."

"Mitchum never would have taken the day off to play." Rory told her. "At least with Logan, he can always find an excuse to play, even if it means that he has to stay up working all night to make up for it."

"Logan is a good provider, just like Richard."

"He really is. Speaking of Grandpa, where is he?"

"He's downstairs with the girls, hearing all about your trip from them. I wanted to come check on you. Make sure that you're doing ok."

"I am actually feeling really good right now. Being outside today was exactly what I needed. I was getting really depressed being stuck in bed all day."

"Well maybe now that the weather is nice, we can get Logan to let you hang out downstairs during the day. We can set you up on the couch, and then we can sneak you outside for a while. Maybe let you lounge by the pool."

"That is a really good idea. I wonder if I can sit in the pool. Even if I'm not swimming, maybe I can just sit on the steps. It's basically the same as taking a shower, just cooler water, and outside."

"I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be able to. As long as you aren't moving around exerting yourself, I would think that lounging in the pool would be just fine. We will definitely have to ask him."

"How are the plans coming for this weekend?" Rory asked.

"Everything is all set. Your mother has your big party all moved to your office. She will be here tomorrow night to start setting things up. She chartered a bus to bring people up. A couple of your friends are staying with Honor, and I think your friend Lane is staying here with all of us Friday night. Christopher and Francine will be here Saturday morning. They are staying with Honor as well. Your mom doesn't want this house over run with people. I believe April's Mom is coming up too."

"That will be so fun to see everyone. I feel bad that they all have to travel here to see me though. It would be so much easier if I could just go to them."

"It would be, but honestly, no one minds at all. Everyone has been very gracious about having to move venues, and they don't mind the extra travel at all. Shira added some extra people to the party here on Sunday, but that's not a problem at all because we have plenty of space. As long as the nice weather holds, we'll have your secret garden party outside. It will be beautiful! But if for some reason the weather changes, I have contingency plans in place to move everything inside."

"Grandma, that sounds so nice. Thank you!"

"It's my pleasure Sweetheart. It will be lovely! Everything is going to be just perfect!"

"Have you let the charity people know about the change in venue?"

"I have. The president of the organization will be at the party."

"Really? That makes me so happy! I am so glad. Thank you!"

"They asked me to extend an invitation to you to join them for an event they are doing in a couple of months. They are having a large summer baby shower event for their new moms who are giving birth over the next several months. They do two large shower events each year, then a couple smaller events. Their summer shower is the biggest event, and they wanted to make sure that you are invited and offer you the chance to speak to all of the women there, if you would like to."

"What do they want me to say?"

"I was just told that you would introduce yourself, tell everyone a little bit about who you are, and about HPG and what you do there. Then tell them about your journey to motherhood; the things you've learned, how it's changed you, helpful tips if you have any, you can share any concerns or fears that you may have, or have had in the past, share your experiences, what your favorite thing is about being a mother, or mother to be, and any words of wisdom that you might have for other mothers who are traveling the same journey that you've been on."

"Ok, I think I can handle all of that. When is the event?"

"Not until the very end of June. I believe it's the last weekend. It gives you plenty of time to adjust to having a new baby."

"Ok. I can definitely handle that. I'm happy to help with whatever I can."

"Good, I knew that you would be. Now, show me those pictures from today. Maybe we can use some of them this weekend."

"That would be cool." Rory said as she unlocked her phone, and pulled up the pictures she had taken. "This one is my favorite. April took it and I stole it from her."

"That is really pretty. Is that at the statue of liberty?" Emily asked, admiring the photo of Rory happily wrapped in Logan's arms as he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"It is. We were just standing there looking out toward the city and April made the comment that we were adorable. It felt so good to be outside. I was so happy, and the weather was perfect. It was peaceful and amazing."

"You look very happy."

"I have a really amazing life, Grandma. Even for as dull as it might be at times, I am so lucky. I have the best husband in the world."

"You know that your sisters planned the entire day for you."

"I do. They are great! I love having them around. I just wish that we had been able to grow up together the way that you did with your sister. I feel like I missed out on a lot."

"Having a sister is like having a built in best friend. My sister and I were very close growing up."

"Why doesn't she ever come to visit? I think I only met her that once."

"I don't know actually. She just doesn't like to travel. Your Grandfather and I only see her when we travel to Berlin. She has her life, and doesn't like to travel the way that we do."

"Do you miss her?"

"I do, but we still talk on the phone occasionally, and she emails a couple times a week."

"Do you think that maybe she would come visit if we invited her?"

"I doubt it. I've invited her hundreds of times. She just doesn't like to travel."

"Maybe we can go visit her then."

"I bet she would like that. I'll email her tomorrow. Maybe we can go later this year."

"That sounds nice." Rory smiled, flipping through a couple more pictures. "Here's one of me, G and April at Ellis Island."

"That is really cute. You three look beautiful. We'll have to get that one printed for sure. You know what I just thought of? We should have some family pictures taken while your sisters are here. I'll see if I can set something up for the next couple days. Maybe we'll do it Friday, or before your party on Saturday. We should get some maternity photos done for you anyway, so we'll just do it all at once."

"That sounds really nice Grandma. Here's another one of me and Logan while we were at lunch."

"Is that ketchup on his nose?"

"It is. It was an accident, but it was funny. We were talking about something, and I moved my arm wrong, and knocked his hand into his face while he was eating french fries. He decided to share the mess." Rory told her, flipping to the next picture where Logan had smeared the ketchup onto Rory's face.

"That's just lovely." Emily chuckled.

"Logan is a child when he wants to be."

"Yes, I see that."

"This one is one of my favorites. Logan shopping with April and Gigi. They kept putting random souvenir hats and stuff on him."

"Logan is a good sport."

"He is. It was really fun to watch. He's never had younger siblings, so he's got a few decades of torture to catch up on."

"Well I'm sure Ayribella will enjoy dressing him up too."

"I am so looking forward to that!" Rory laughed. "I just know it's going to be completely adorable."

"Logan is really good with kids."

"He is. He's amazing with them. Paris and Doyle's kids love him."

"Hey Sweetheart, I just wanted to come say goodnight to you." Richard said, walking into Rory's bedroom.

"Hey Grandpa."

"It sounds like you guys had quite the day today."

"We did, it was amazing! I had a great time. It was exactly what I needed."

"Is there anything that I can do for you before I turn in for the night?"

"I think I'm ok, but thank you."

"Did your Grandmother tell you, the contractor said that our apartment should be done next week."

"That is awesome news Grandpa! I am so happy!"

"Emily and I are going to head back to Hartford tomorrow morning, but we'll be back Friday to get everything set up for your parties."

"Whatever you need to do is fine with me. You know that I'm always happy to have you around."

"Is there anything that you would like for us to bring back for you?"

"I can't think of anything off the top of my head, but I'll let you know if that changes."

"You do that. I'm going to go turn in. I'll make sure we say goodbye before we go in the morning."

"Thank you Grandpa. I love you."

"I love you too Honey. You get some rest, alright? You've had a busy day."

"I'm going to head to bed too." Emily told her. "I'm glad you had such a wonderful day with Logan and your sisters. You look nice and refreshed."

"I feel refreshed." Rory agreed. "Today was a lot of fun."

"Get some rest Honey. We'll see you in the morning. I love you." Emily told her, kissing Rory on the forehead before moving off the bed."

"I love you both so much. Thank you for everything. Sleep well." Rory said, then watched as her Grandparents left the room.

_*** ~ * ~ * ~ * 11:30pm * ~ * ~ * ~ ***_

"My beautiful wife." Logan smiled as he slid into bed, gently wrapping his arms around Rory.

"What's gotten into you?"

"I've been stuck on the phone with our office in Hong Kong for the last two hours, and the entire time all I could think about was coming to bed, and curling up with you."

"Really?"

"Today was a lot of fun. It makes me miss college sometimes."

"How so?"

"I miss being able to just be with you having fun all day. Remember when we went to St. Croix, and we got to just be together all day, shopping, seeing the sights, and enjoying the island? I miss that. I miss how simple things used to be before we had jobs and responsibilities. Sometimes I just want to go back to being 21 again, and being able to do whatever I wanted before real life kicked in."

"So you think 21 was freedom?"

"Way more so than being 18. At least I didn't need a fake ID to do things."

"I actually never had one of those."

"You actually did, you just didn't know about it, because we never ended up needing it."

"Wait, you got me a fake ID?"

"I did. It was a preventative measure that I took, just in case we ever needed it. But you passed for 21 really well all on your own, so we never actually needed it. I used to carry your ID in my wallet behind mine."

"Seriously? How come I never knew about that?"

"You just never ended up needing it. Everyone in the group had a fake when they were under age. Most college kids have them."

"So you just had one made for me, without telling me about it?"

"Well, we figured that if we told you about it at the time, you would probably get upset and refuse to go out with us to anywhere that you might end up needing it. So we just kept it quiet, and figured we would tell you if and when we actually ended up using it. But somehow everywhere we went, just waved you in with me, and you never ended up needing it."

"Do you still have it?"

"It's in a box somewhere. Either in the garage, or over at Honor's house."

"Does it look real?"

"It looks identical to your old drivers license, except with a different birth year."

"How is that even possible?"

"I took a picture of your license one day, and sent it over to Finn so he could get your ID."

"You're serious right now?"

"Finn's roommate was the guy with printer." Logan shrugged.

"How did I not know about all of this?" Rory asked.

"Because you would have been upset, and would have refused to go out with us. I already explained this."

"And you think that by telling me all of this now, I won't be upset?"

"Ace, come on. You can't be mad at me for something that I did to help you 12 years ago."

"I'm not mad, just kind of shocked that I never knew about any of this."

"Why would we tell you something that would have made you mad?"

"Uh, because we were in a relationship, that's why."

"I had it made before we were officially together."

"When did you have access to my driver's license to take a picture?"

"When you gave it to me to hold for you one night. You handed me your ID, chapstick and room key to put in my pocket, so you wouldn't have to carry a purse."

"I did? I mean that sounds like something that I would do, but I really gave you my ID?"

"Ace, come on. You just said that it sounds like something you would do. Why are you even questioning this. It's me and the guys. Why wouldn't be all have a fake ID? I got my first fake ID when I was 12."

"Twelve?! Really?"

"We needed a designated driver, and I was the oldest."

"Wow!"

"How are you still surprised by the stupid things that the guys and I have done?"

"Because you three are complete idiots!"

"And this is a new concept to you?"

"Well no, but the level of sheer stupidity that you three have sunk to, just baffles me sometimes."

"I'm not sure how that is even possible at this point. It's Collin and Finn!"

"Exactly! You Collin and Finn are Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dumb, and Tweedle Dumbest!"

"So none of our idiotic antics should ever surprise you."

"Some days I really wonder how you ever managed to graduate from medical school."

"You and me both." Logan laughed.

"The three of you . . . You know that this is why Stephanie and I don't let you guys hang out unsupervised anymore."

"Please, Stephanie has been babysitting us since we were about ten. We've ALWAYS needed a babysitter. We just got better at dodging the sitter as we got older."

"You three are completely ridiculous!"

"Trust me, that's something that we have always been well aware of."

"I can't believe that you had a fake ID made for me, and I never knew about."

"I can't believe that we never ended up needing it."

"You know, I don't think I ever got carded when I was out with you."

"I don't think you did either. Which would be why you never ended up needing the ID."

"Don't you think that's kind of strange?"

"Not really. Most places that we went, people knew me, so they just waved us right in. Plus, you kind of mellowed me out. You and I never did anything completely crazy together."

"Crazier than breaking into the dining hall for ice cream?"

"It's not breaking in when you have a key."

"How did you get that key anyway?"

"I know some very powerful locksmiths."

"You said that then too."

"Would you even want to hear any other answer?"

"Probably not." Rory chuckled.

"I would think that by now you would have learned to not ask so many questions."

"Oh trust me, I learned that about two weeks into dating you."

"Some things are just better left unsaid."

"Plausible deniability."

"Exactly! Explanations are too incriminating. You didn't deserve that."

"But I do now?"

"Like I said, you've mellowed me out. I haven't done anything truly stupid in a very long time."

"Do you ever miss it?"

"I do. But I'm happy with the way my life turned out."

"How so?"

"I have you, don't I? Everything I've ever wanted is right here in this room."

"There is nothing else that you want?"

"Ok, maybe a vacation would be nice right now."

"You want to take a vacation?"

"I wish we could. Just the two of us."

"Where would we go?"

"Does it matter? We could go anywhere, and the only thing that would matter to me would be being with you. I love doing things together, just the two of us."

"It's not going to be just the two of us for very much longer." Rory said as they both felt the baby kick.

"I know, and I'm really looking forward to it." Logan smiled. "I was stuck on that conference call for so long tonight. My office is lonely without you with me."

"You were right downstairs."

"I know, but I wanted to be up here, in bed, with you."

"You are sappy today."

"I just miss you. I've gotten really used to having you with me all the time. Sitting in a meeting alone is boring."

"How did the meeting go?"

"I've forgotten a lot of the Japanese that I used to know. I needed the translator a lot more than I used to."

"I've never not needed the translator."

"Things are going well over there. Profits are up. They are expanding the building to fit another 200 employees. They only currently need room for 20-30 more, but adding more space than needed is always for the best with how much we are constantly growing."

"How much is that going to cost?"

"A few million. The bids are being sent to the attorneys and accountants tonight. Collin will have some work to do on it in the morning."

"Speaking of expanding, Grandpa said the addition to our house will be done next week."

"That's awesome!"

"Grandma and Grandpa are heading back to Hartford in the morning, but they'll be back on Friday. They asked if there is anything that we need them to bring back."

"Maybe a time travel machine, so we could take a quick trip back to the carefree days at Yale."

"I'm not sure that those machines even exist."

"Well then maybe we need a magician to take us back."

"Why don't you just plan a trip for this fall. Maybe we can go to Hawaii or something."

"Sexy wife wearing a bikini on the beach for our anniversary. I'm in!"

"Don't forget about our daughter."

"We'll take your Mom to babysit."

"That sounds nice."

"I'll call the travel agent tomorrow." Logan told her. "Maybe we can even renew our vows on the beach."

"You really think that our families will let us by with that? You know that they still want that huge society wedding."

"I know, but is that really us? As much as I would love to give you the massive fairy tale wedding of your dreams, I can't help but wonder if that is really want you actually want?"

"I already have everything that I want right here. The big fancy wedding isn't for us. It's for our families."

"Exactly. And that's not what weddings should be about. If we are going to have a wedding, I want it to be about us. You and me. I don't care about having a ridiculous society event. I want to do whatever makes YOU happy."

"Our families want a party."

"They are getting their party with the baby showers this weekend."

"Logan."

"If you want to have a big wedding, then that's what we'll do. But I don't want it to be about our families throwing a massive party. I want it to be about us."

"What about a wedding in Stars Hollow? We can even get married in the church like Lane did."

"If that is what you want to do."

"I think my grandparents would be happy if we were married in a church."

"But is that what you want? Because this is about us, and not anyone else."

"Logan, we are already married. Why does it matter where we get pretend married?"

"I just want it to be about what YOU want, and not what other people demand of us."

"I liked my Mom's wedding in the town square. It was beautiful."

"Well why don't we do that then? You and Lorelai can plan the wedding of your dreams, right in the center of town."

"You would be ok with that?"

"Absolutely! If you want to get married again in the gazebo in Stars Hollow, then that is exactly what we will do."

"What about in the garden at the Dragonfly?"

"Whatever you want to do. Just tell me when to show up."

"You really think that you are going to get away with me planning this entire thing without you?"

"I have no doubt that I'll have to help somehow, but I want it to be about you. I already got the wedding of my dreams. Everything else is just gravy."

"Gravy? Really?"

"Ok, chocolate syrup. It's all just the chocolate syrup on top of our already perfect wedding bliss sundae."

"I'll talk to my Mom and Grandma this weekend." Rory told him, trying to fight off a yawn that broke into her speech.

"Go to sleep Ace. We can talk about all of this later."

"I love you Logan. Thank you for today."

"It was my pleasure." Logan smiled, placing a soft kiss on his wife's head. "I love you too, Ace."

* * *

Sunday the 26th we got in the car to go pick up the moving truck, and the e-mail confirmation my husband had received from Uhaul (the company pays for everything when they transfer us) told us to pick up in the tiny town we lived in. But then we had a second confirmation e-mail, telling us to pick up an hour from us. Not really sure where exactly we were supposed to go, we started with the place closest to us, which was 2 miles from home. It was closed on Sundays. So we drove an hour to the next place because living in a tiny town, there wasn't anything else there. So we get to the new place, and it's not a Uhaul dealer at all, it's a gas station that had just started renting trucks. The woman working there had never done a truck rental before, and had no idea what she was doing. The truck we had reserved was a 20 foot truck, which they had, but it had just been returned with a blown tire, and couldn't be used. The only other thing they had was a 26 foot truck, which was much bigger than what we needed. My husband and I called Uhaull customer service to ask what to do, and they changed our reservation to the larger truck without charging us more (which we wouldn't have cared about because we weren't the ones footing the bill). So my husband goes back inside to do the paperwork on the truck and car transport trailer we needed to tow our second car, and the woman had no idea what she was doing and basically threw the keys at my husband, and did zero paperwork or truck inspection. Just said "here you go." My husband made her photo copy his license because he wasn't about to walk out of there without that at least done. When we went to turn the truck in two days later, we found out that the truck had never been rented to us at all, or even checked back in from the last rental. The company got a completely free move out of Uhaul because of it. When we picked up the truck it didn't come with the utility dolly it was supposed to, so my husband was able to go to a place by our house that rented other Uhaul equipment, and even though it was closed on Sundays, the owner happened to be there doing other work, and was nice enough to help hubby out. He had been accidentally given a dolly he wasn't supposed to have, and was nice enough to tell hubby to take it and make sure he returned it with the truck. So at least we had that.

We loaded the truck Sunday afternoon and began our move first thing Monday morning. We get to our new place around 11am (about an hour and a half from the old one), and the apartment we had signed the lease on wasn't ready for us to move in the way that it was supposed to be. I had driven our car down with the kids, while hubby was driving the truck, and the apartment manager was telling me that she didn't have our unit ready and it wouldn't be ready for several days, and was asking if we could just get a hotel room until the unit became available. I was about to lose my mind, so thank goodness hubby suddenly got there at that point, because I might have ripped into the woman. She went and called her boss, and they came up with the solution of giving us another unit, but wouldn't have it ready for a couple more hours. Fine, we went to get lunch and came back to move in. Being the genius autism mom control freak that I am, I had ordered groceries Sunday night, to have delivered between 5 and 6pm on Monday. I ordered $250 in groceries and supplies to be delivered from Walmart, which meant calling to change the apartment number. That turned into a nightmare because I got a text message saying that my delivery driver had arrived, but yet there was no one outside. Luckily, logging into the app, it gave me a phone number for the driver, who I called, and while Walmart had changed my apartment number when I had called them that afternoon, the driver didn't get the information, and was unloading on the wrong porch, all the way on the other side of the apartment complex. Poor guy had to reload his car, and drive to the opposite end of the complex. That's cool, we tipped him $14. BUT, our new apartment didn't have a fridge. Hubby and I ended up spending over $30 on ice to keep our groceries cold until we got a fridge the next afternoon, which hubby had to walk to the office to pick up and bring back to the apartment (we are at he very far back end of the complex, the office is at the front, right next where our original apartment is). All they had to help hubby, was a broken utility dolly. So hubby had to bring the fridge back by himself on a broken dolly. Hubby is severely asthmatic, and part of our complex is up hill. So that was fun. There was no one available to help him, so it was all hubby.

Wednesday morning, we wake up and the ceiling in our dining room is raining all over the floor. A pipe under the laundry area upstairs (we're in a townhouse) was broken and after doing two loads of laundry the night before, our downstairs is completely flooded. It was 6am, and hubby's first day at work, so I'm left home with our two autistic kids and a flooded downstairs, and worried about the ceiling caving in and falling down. I called the property manager's emergency line at 6am, but of course no one came out to fix it until that afternoon. Right now as I sit her writing all of this out, we still have two holes in the ceiling above my head, and two giant fans next to me that the restoration guy left here to dry things out. The plumber that came out that day was an idiot and told my husband that the water had come from my washer. That actually really pissed me off because we had never had a problem with our washer before, and it just wasn't possible. He said that one of the hoses going into the washer had leaked and flooded the house. NO! Eff you dude! Two days later, the problem happened again, but no where near as bad as the first time. Right now, my washer is still pulled out from where it goes, just so I can monitor the situation. We've only had the two leaking instances, but there is definitely a broken pipe in the ceiling. A new plumber just came out this morning to evaluate the situation, and said that they will be back to fix it. They are going to have to rip out the ceiling in the dining room. The light above my dining room table was completely full of water from the first flood, which hubby had to figure out how to empty. I have pictures and video of the flood, and you guys would lose your crap if you saw it. And that isn't even the end of our nightmare.

When we moved in, I was told that for our mail, I needed to go to the post office with our lease, my ID and a payment of $35 to get a mailbox key. So I did that Monday, and after standing in line for a freaking HOUR (welcome to living in a big city), I was told that I was at the wrong post office, and had to go across town to the other office that our mail was distributed from. Fine! Whatever! So Tuesday I went to the other office, and spent another hour in line just to be told "They didn't help you at the other office? That's stupid, they could have done this there. Why did they send you here?" Jerks! So the lady helps me out, takes my payment and tells me there will be an "extensive wait" for someone to come out to change the lock on my box. I asked what an extensive wait meant and she told me that she didn't know, but it would be a while. So I go back home and talk to my apartment manager to find out that some of my neighbors have been waiting as long as 8 months. Freaking awesome! Yeah, I'm not waiting 8 months to get my mail. That's just crap! I happened to see the mailman delivering mail around 6pm that day when I came back from running to Walmart, and convinced him to open my mailbox and give me my mail which I had in two different boxes because I had submitted our change of address before moving, and it had been for a different apartment number. So the guy hands me mail for both boxes inside of this giant mail container, tells me to take what was mine, and put everything else in the outgoing mail drop. He didn't check my ID or anything, just handed me a box of mail and left. I had mail for probably my entire neighborhood in my hand, which is completely illegal. Thank goodness I'm an honest person because I dug through the box putting everything that wasn't mine in the outgoing slot, then went home with the few things that were mine. While I had been at the post office that day, I was able to get my change of address corrected, so at least that nightmare is fixed. However, it's now been 2 weeks and we STILL don't have mail. As I'm typing this, I am stalker calling the local post office. I went down there on Saturday and threw a massive fit. I've filed numerous complaints, which have all been completely ignored. I've also called local postal district office and postal consumer affairs office to file complaints there. I've been ignored. So Saturday I stood in line for about an hour and a half, and ripped into a supervisor. I literally yelled at him in front of a long line of people. I tried to be nice and explain my situation, just to be told that it would be a while, the mailboxes at my apartment complex are old and they have to order new locks. Yeah, no, that's complete BS, it's been 2 weeks since I moved in and my neighbors have been waiting 8 months. That's completely unacceptable, which I told the guy and I told him that he could give me a new lock and I would go change the damn thing myself. He told me that they can't do that. So I told him to just give us new freaking boxes and he tells me that if my complex wants new boxes, they can order the boxes themselves. Whatever dude! Give me my freaking mail! There was an amazon order that I needed, sitting in my box, which I don't have a key to. So the supervisor calls our mail carrier and tells him to take the mail from my box and bring it back to the office. I immediately tell him no, I'm NOT coming back, you have him deliver to my front door! He tells the mail carrier to deliver the mail to my door. I then tell him that my mail had better not only be delivered to my door that day, but EVERY day until those idiots decide to give me and my neighbors mailbox keys. The dude tells me that maybe someone will be out to fix the problem "next week". Yeah, still not acceptable! I tell him that it had better be fixed on Monday, or I'll be back to yell at him. He tells me that it won't be Monday, so I tell him that he'll be seeing me again then. So I still don't have mail. The mailman never showed up at my door on Saturday. So yesterday (Monday), I walked down to the mail room to put a note on the door for the mailman, asking him to bring my mail to my door. My box is empty. All the mail that was in there, including my amazon package, is gone! I call the local post office (who NEVER answers the phone) and amazingly enough, got a person on the phone, I explain my situation, and they put me on hold while they go "look" for my mail. 45 minutes later, I'm still on hold, and my phone battery is dieing, so I hang up and call back. No answer! I call 28 more times. It rings and rings for 3 minutes and 16 seconds each time before the system disconnects you. I am literally stalker calling the post office, trying to find my mail. I had left a message for my apartment manager yesterday, and my husband stopped by the office to talk to her about the plumbing issues we've been having (the plumber has been here like 3 times fixing two toilets, the cracked garbage disposal that leaked all over the cabinet below the kitchen sink, two bathroom sinks (one was completely replaced), and the leaking ceiling. This apartment has issues, but at least they're being fixed. Our manager is the sweetest woman, who I actually really like. The kids and I took her cookies last week. So yesterday she tells hubby and she doesn't have our mail, and that our box was empty when she went to check after getting my message. So our mail is lost and the post office doesn't give a damn! AWESOME! So hubby tells her about the fit I threw at the post office on Saturday, and how I was lucky to not be thrown out of there. Our manager laughs, tells him that she loves me, and that someone had actually just come out from the post office to look at the boxes and order new locks, and that they were actually making her a key to the mail room, so that she could help everyone who lives here FINALLY get their mail. So because of my big mouth, something is FINALLY being done. Why the eff it's taken 8 months for the morons at the post office to get off their butts and fix the problem, is beyond my comprehension, but fine, whatever! Where's my mail people?! As I am typing this, I am stalker calling the post office AGAIN! I've called 8 times and they JUST picked up. Awesome! So now they're saying that they have my mail and it is being delivered by my carrier today, amazon package and everything. And they said that my lock has been changed and that I can come down to the post office to pick up my key and fill out some paperwork. Awesome, I get to go stand in line for an hour and a half all over again. Awesome! Great! Fabulous! This is crap! I asked if there is any special consideration they can make for me since it's been such a nightmare. NOPE! They don't care! I pulled the autism card, I pulled the high risk covid card. I asked if they can give my key to the mailman to bring to me, or even to my apartment manager, nope! They are demanding that I show up at the post office, stand in line for a freaking hour and a half AGAIN, so I can fill out paperwork and pick up my key. You have got to be freaking kidding me! And the lady tried to tell me that the wait wouldn't be an hour and a half. I told her that's crap because I've already been there twice and it ALWAYS takes an hour and a half because there is only one damn person working. But they're insisting that I go in there. Freaking awesome! So just called my apartment office and left a message for the manager to ask if my lock has really actually FINALLY been changed, before I got waste my time standing in line at the post office, just to have to rip into the supervisor AGAIN. I also now get to make arrangements with my husband for him to come home from work early to watch the kids so I can go waste my time in line at the post office. I've only called the post office literally 50 times now. I'm not even kidding. I can show you the call log on my phone. It's beyond ridiculous! But hey, they FINALLY answered! Enough annoying stalker calls and they pick up the phone. My big mouth doesn't give up when I'm being treated like crap. My neighbors have been waiting 8 months for their mail, so it just took me a week of throwing a massive hissy fit to the post office, filing complaint after complaint, and supposedly we have results today. We were worried about me getting arrested for throwing a fit on Saturday. Hubby said that had I not been white, they probably would have arrested me. But because I have white privilege, they won't touch me. I also live in a mostly black neighborhood, and had one of the neighbors gone in to throw a fit, instead of me, they most likely would have been arrested. But because I'm white, I have the race card working in my favor. I freaking HATE living in the racist south. It's just stupid! I wasn't raised like this. I grew up in Southern California, in the ghetto. I was raised by a single mom who didn't have a lot of money. Hubby too. We never had much money growing up, so we grew up in the rougher neighborhoods, with the rest of the low income families. We have more money now than our mothers had when we were growing up, but because of inflation, we are still considered lower income. We aren't considered "low income", but we definitely don't make much. We are a one income family with two special needs children. I'll tell you this much, our $850 rent is A LOT and there is no way that we can afford any more than that. Especially not with our car payment. So we live in I guess what would be considered a upper lower income type neighborhood. We don't live in a rich area at all. That's the neighborhood across the street from us. But it's a neighborhood where the residents aren't "low income" but still struggle. It's mostly black, which my husband and I don't mind at all. We grew up in the ghetto struggling neighborhoods, and this is where we feel most comfortable. We prefer to be surrounded by people just like us. But because we are white, we are privileged. So my big mouth just did all of my neighbors a favor. I'm proud that I've helped everyone. I feel bad that it took this long for someone to help them, and to stand up for what is wrong with the ridiculous world that we live in, but at least I'm able to help make their lives a little bit better and somewhat easier.

When my kids wake up from their naps, I'm going to take a walk down to the apartment office to talk to our manager and find out if the locks have actually been changed, and what else my big mouth can help her with. Now that I've done some good, I feel like I need to keep going. I don't have a ton of time to help out because I am homeschooling two kids, but if my big mouth and white privilege can help someone being ignored and subjected to a craptastic broken system, I want to be their voice. No one should have to wait 8 months to have access to their mail. And one deserves to be treated like a second class citizen because of the color of their skin. I've never considered myself lucky to be white. I actually joke around with my close friends about being a "wexican" (white wash mexican) because I grew up in the ghetto in San Diego, and eat more Mexican food than anyone we know. Most of my friends aren't white like I am. They are all different races, and I consider myself to be one of them. I don't see color at all. I see all of us as being exactly the same. No one is better than anyone else. My black best friend isn't black to me. He's just himself. He's my best friend, and I love him to death. My other BFF is half white half Puerto Rican. Another close friend is 100% Mexican. But to us, we're all family. There is no race or skin color. We're just human. And it completely kills me to watch the people I consider to me my family, to be unfairly discriminated against. It's not right! Black lives matter! I stand with my friends. They're my family, and I love them all! There is nothing that I wouldn't do for them. So if my white voice can help you, please let me know. I love you all, and I want to help if I can. :-)


End file.
